Using Adobe Acrobat Flattening Tool

Acrobat supports flattening, but it is not included in the default menus. A JavaScript program is needed to enable the feature. Follow these steps to enable the feature:

  1. Exit from Acrobat if it is open.
  2. Find the flatten.zip file.

    Note: The zip file is included in the Submittal Exchange Knowledgebase. Search the Knowledgebase at https://www.submittalexchange.com/help/KB.aspx for Flattening tool.

  3. Open the zip file.
  4. Save the flatten.js file to the JavaScripts folder in the Acrobat directory on your computer.
    • If you have Acrobat 7.0, the directory is C:/Program Files/Adobe/Acrobat 7.0/Acrobat/Javascripts/.
    • If you have a different version of Acrobat, the version number will change as needed.
  5. Restart Acrobat.
  6. There will now be a new menu item on the Document menu in Acrobat, Flatten PDF. Select Flatten PDF when you have a PDF open. All the comments and markups are flattened into the content of the file, so they cannot be changed or removed.

    Note: This should only be done after you are 100% complete with your markups.

  7. After you have flattened a PDF, select Save.

    Notes:

    • PDFs are flattened by default, when uploaded to Submittal Exchange.
    • We have tested the Flatten PDF feature in both Acrobat 7.0 and 8.0. It should also in theory work for older versions as well (for example, 6.0), however that version has not been tested.

Last Published Thursday, May 29, 2025