Paper
Paper is a private, local-first PDF editor that runs entirely in your browser. Open one or more PDFs, rearrange and clean up their pages, annotate and sign them, and export a single flattened file. Nothing is ever uploaded, and no account is needed.
Production: https://pdf.gautamtata.com (also https://paper-pdf-editor.vercel.app) · Source: https://github.com/gautamtata/paper-pdf-editor
Privacy model
- Every operation (parsing, rendering, editing, signing, exporting) happens on your device in client-side JavaScript. The deployed app is static assets only: there are no route handlers, server actions, or upload endpoints.
- The only persistence is your browser's IndexedDB: recent documents, the autosaved workspace, and the signature vault.
- "Clear all local data" wipes everything Paper has stored and returns you to a clean slate.
Features
- Open and merge PDFs (drag-and-drop or file picker)
- Delete, reorder, and rotate pages
- Annotate with text, pen, highlight, and rectangle tools
- Sign by drawing, typing, or uploading an image, with a local signature vault for reuse
- Export a flattened PDF with all edits applied
- Autosave and reload the workspace between sessions
Scripts
Paper uses Bun. Install dependencies with bun install; a postinstall hook copies the pdf.js worker into public/.
| Script | What it does |
|---|
bun run dev | Start the Next.js dev server |
bun run build | Production build |
bun run test | Unit tests (Vitest) |
bun run e2e | End-to-end tests (Playwright, in e2e/) |
bun run typecheck | tsc --noEmit |
bun run lint | ESLint |
Set PLAYWRIGHT_BASE_URL=https://... to run the e2e suite against a deployed URL instead of a local dev server.
Deployment
Deployed to Vercel with framework auto-detection and no environment variables or integrations.
The design spec and implementation plan live in docs/superpowers/.
