Upload the PDF
Drop your unlocked file onto the upload area or choose it from your device. Sign in to a free Gard account to continue in the web app.
Free PDF proofing for finished documents
Catch spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes in your final PDF before it goes to print or reaches a client. Upload your file and review suggested corrections alongside the page in Gard.
Free Gard account: 3 scans per month. Each page uses one scan. PDF files up to 20 MB and 20 pages.
Upload a PDF
From final export to final check
How to proofread your document online
Review the exported file your reader will see, including text in graphics and artwork. Keep the layout in view while you work through the suggestions.
Review each checked page
Gard checks the first pages covered by your remaining scans. Read the highlighted spelling, grammar, and punctuation suggestions in context.
Verify the details
Check names, dates, prices, and contact information against your approved copy. Treat suggestions as a review aid and decide which changes fit.
Update and re-export
Make corrections in your original design or document editor. Export a fresh PDF and give the revised pages a final check before sending.
Check the finished file
Approved copy can change during layout
A brochure headline gets shortened. A product description is pasted twice. A date is updated on one page but missed on another. The last export deserves its own proofreading pass.
Use Gard to review the words as they appear in the document, including copy embedded in placed images. This helps you catch text problems that a spell check in the original copy document can miss.
Read text in the page layout
Gard renders PDF pages and checks their visible text. It can review readable copy in selectable text, flattened artwork, and placed images without asking you to copy everything into a separate text box.
Catch common copy mistakes
- Misspellings in headlines, captions, and body copy
- Grammar errors and repeated words
- Missing punctuation and inconsistent capitalization
- Awkward wording left behind by last-minute edits
For documents ready to leave your desk
Check brochures, flyers, product sheets, presentation exports, reports, and packaging proofs. A review of the final file is useful whenever copy has moved through a design handoff or changed close to a deadline.
Keep your production checks
This tool reviews written content. Check bleed, trim, color profiles, image resolution, and print specifications separately. Gard suggests text corrections; you apply them in the source file and decide when the document is ready.
Gard tools
Working with an image instead?
PDF proofing uses the same visual proofreading approach as our image spell checker. Choose the tool that matches the file you have.
Questions
Questions about checking PDFs
What is PDF proofing?
PDF proofing is reviewing an exported document before it is printed, published, or shared. Gard focuses on proofreading the visible text for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and copy issues while keeping the page layout in view.
Can I check a PDF for free?
Yes. Sign in to a free Gard account to use your monthly scan allowance. Each PDF page uses one scan, so the number of pages checked depends on your remaining allowance. Paid plans are available for larger review volumes.
Can Gard check scanned or flattened PDFs?
Yes, when the text is readable. Gard reviews rendered pages, including text in scans, flattened artwork, and embedded images. Blurry scans, very small type, or low-contrast text can reduce the quality of the results.
What are the file and page limits?
Upload an unlocked PDF up to 20 MB with no more than 20 pages from this page. Gard checks the first pages covered by your available scans and lets you know if only part of the document was proofread. Password-protected PDFs need to be unlocked first.
Does Gard edit the PDF for me?
Gard shows suggested corrections for you to review. Make accepted changes in the original document or design file, then export a new PDF. Verify factual details and print specifications as part of your final review.
More ways teams use Gard
One more check before you send
Give your final PDF a proofreading pass
Upload a document, review the suggestions, and return to your source file with a clear list of changes.