NextGen CM/ECF 1.8 was released October 2024. This release includes changes to the PDF document requirements.
Please be aware of which PDFs will be accepted or rejected by CM/ECF in NextGen 1.8.
PDFs with the following content will be rejected:
- Does not comply with PDF format standards
- Contains JavaScript
- Encrypted or password-protected
- Contains scripts which can launch an external application
- Contains internal attachments
- Contains audio and video content
- Created with Mac OS X using a fillable form in the Safari browser
- Created with Mac OS X using MS Word and selecting the option, “Best for printing”
PDFs with the following content will be accepted:
- Contains hyperlinks to external web sites
- Meets the PDF-A standard
- Contains optical character recognition (OCR) meta-data
- Comprised of scanned documents NOTE: Court policy may stipulate acceptable dots-per-inch (dpi) standards.
- Created with Mac OS X using a fillable form in the Chrome browser
- Created with Mac OS X using MS Word and selecting the option, “Best for Electronic Distribution”
CM/ECF may display the following errors for rejected PDFs:
- Fillable PDF forms must be flattened before filing in CM/ECF. Flattening ensures that the document can be viewed on all devices and prevents others from manipulating or editing the form fields.
- Document is malformed or contains code which may cause an external action (such as launching an application). This PDF document cannot be accepted.
HOW TO FLATTEN A PDF
The simplest way to address most PDF upload rejections is to flatten the PDF and then upload it into CM/ECF. To flatten the PDF with Adobe Acrobat:
- Open your PDF file.
- Print the PDF file to your PDF printer (File>Print>select Adobe PDF).
- Save the printed PDF and upload into CM/ECF.
NOTE: If using Nuance, it contains a flatten file feature which can be found by selecting Advanced Processing> Flatten File.
HOW TO FLATTEN A PDF (Apple Mac OS)
Use the Save As Adobe PDF option to flatten a PDF on Mac.
- Open your file.
- Choose File > Print.
- Click the PDF button and choose Save As Adobe PDF.
- Save the printed PDF and upload into CM/ECF.
HOW TO REMOVE JAVASCRIPT FROM A PDF
JavaScript can cause Cross-Site Scripting attacks.
To remove JavaScript using Adobe Acrobat:
- Open the PDF file.
- Go to File > Save as Other > Optimized PDF.
- Click OK to pop up message about the attached file.
- Click on Discard Object on the left bar.
- Check Discard all JavaScript actions.
- Click OK and save.