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Browser Tools Built for Zero Uploads: 300 DPI Photo Export, Fast Sticker Borders, True PDF Redaction

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The article argues that many free online utilities, such as passport photo makers, sticker generators, PDF redactors, and statement converters, upload sensitive personal files to remote servers for simple transformations. It notes a further flaw in some PDF redaction tools, which overlay black rectangles without deleting the underlying text, letting hidden data be copied or searched. The author's project, OnDevice Desk, runs four free browser tools entirely on the user's device using Web Workers and OffscreenCanvas, so files never leave the computer. The piece details technical methods, including injecting 300 DPI density headers into JPEGs, binary-searching compression quality to meet file-size limits, and using a linear-time distance transform to generate sticker borders. The tools are presented as a privacy-preserving alternative to server-based utilities.

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