Password-Protect, Rename, and Email an E-book Using PDF.co and Zapier
Automatically send readers a password-protected PDF e-book when their details are added to Google Sheets. Each copy will have a filename containing the reader’s name.
Step 1: Prepare the E-book and Reader List
Upload your e-book to PDF.co’s Files storage and copy its filetoken:// link for reuse in the Zap.
Create a Google Sheet with these column headers:
- Reader Name
- Email Address
- PDF Password
Add a test row using your own email address and a password for opening the PDF.
Step 2: Create the Google Sheets Trigger
- Create a new Zap.
- Select Google Sheets and New Spreadsheet Row.
- Connect your Google account.
- Select the spreadsheet and worksheet containing the reader list.
- Test the trigger and select your test row.
Step 3: Configure PDF.co PDF Security
Add PDF.co as the next app and select PDF Security. Sign in and authorize your PDF.co account.
Configure these settings:
- Source File URL: The e-book’s
filetoken://link - Operation Mode: Add password/security
- User Password: Map PDF Password from Google Sheets
- Owner Password: Enter a separate password that you retain
- Encryption Algorithm: Select AES-128 or stronger
- File Name: Combine the e-book title and Reader Name, such as
Ebook-Jordan-Smith.pdf
The User Password is the password readers enter to open the PDF. Configure printing, copying, and modification permissions according to your requirements.
The filename personalizes the attachment; it does not add the reader’s name to the PDF pages. See the PDF Security documentation for field details.
Step 4: Test the Protected PDF
Test the PDF.co action and open its output URL.
Confirm that the PDF asks for the reader’s password, opens successfully with that password, and has the expected filename.
Step 5: Email the E-book
- Add Gmail and select Send Email.
- Connect the Gmail account that will send the e-books.
- Map Email Address from Google Sheets into To.
- Enter a subject such as
Your e-book is ready. - Write the email message, mapping Reader Name into the greeting.
- Map the PDF.co output URL into Attachments.
Arrange for readers to receive their PDF password through your chosen delivery channel. Keep the owner password private.
Test this step with your own email address. Confirm that the attachment arrives and opens with the reader password.
Step 6: Publish the Zap
Publish the Zap after the complete test succeeds. Each new reader row will create a password-protected copy of the e-book and send it as an email attachment.
PDF.co’s output link is temporary, so the Gmail step should attach the file during the workflow run.
In this tutorial, you learned how to use Google Drive’s New Spreadsheet Row as a Trigger to run a Zap. You also learned how to add security to your ebook by adding passwords and personalizing the output name using PDF.co PDF Security. Most of all, you learned how to automatically send a secure ebook to your readers.
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