Editorial Policy

1. Who Writes the Content

All SmokePDF articles and tool page texts are written by Abdelilah Barbach, the site's founder and the developer of its tools. There is no editorial team, and I don't publish articles by other writers. Every article shows its author and publication date.

2. Every Article Is Based on a Test

Before I write about a task, I do it myself:

• Sample files: I create PDF, Word and Excel files and images with made-up data that belongs to no real person, similar to what readers deal with: invoices, statements, Arabic documents and scanned pages.
• Results as they came out: I record what the test actually gives, such as the size before and after, how Arabic text looks after conversion, and what worked and what didn't. When the site's own tool doesn't give the result you want, I say so, and name an alternative if there is one.
• Limits of the test: I test on the devices and software available to me, and when the result depends on the software or device, I say what I tested on.

3. Information That Doesn't Come From a Test

Some information can't be checked with a single test, such as how images are stored inside a PDF or which encryption types exist. In those cases I rely on official documentation: the PDF specification, the documentation of the libraries the site's tools use, and the documentation of the companies that make the software I explain. I don't make claims I haven't verified.

4. What I Don't Publish

• Instructions for opening files the reader doesn't own, or for bypassing protection the file's owner set without their permission.
• Articles that repeat what a tool page or another article already says in different words.
• Comparisons with other sites or software based on their marketing claims without testing them.

5. Arabic and English Versions

Every article is published in Arabic and English with the same content and the same results. The English version is not a word-for-word translation, but it doesn't add or remove any information.

6. Advertising and Independence

The site may show Google AdSense ads to cover its costs, and they appear separately from the article text. I am not paid to mention or recommend any software or service, and ads don't influence what I write.

7. Updates and Corrections

I review articles when the tools or software they explain change. If you find a mistake in an article, or a tool that doesn't work the way an article describes, email me at support@smokepdf.com. I check every report and correct confirmed mistakes in the article itself.

8. Privacy

The site's tools process files inside your browser and don't upload them to any server, and the files I use in tests are sample files with no real data. Details are in the Privacy Policy.