A single PDF operation is easy. When a document must be cleaned, reordered, redacted, flattened, compressed and protected, the main challenge is choosing the right sequence.
Start with the final result
Decide what the recipient should receive: which pages, in what order, what information must disappear, whether the document should remain editable, and whether size or password protection matters.
The PDF Pipeline catalog is broader now
Pipeline-compatible operations cover page management, merging and splitting, cleanup, OCR, compression, sanitization, protection, flattening, secure redaction, form filling, repair, comparison, booklet preparation and document layout tasks.
A useful Pipeline is a business recipe, not a way to use every module.
Three useful workflows
Secure a PDF before sharing follows Import → Flatten → Sanitize → Compress → Protect → Download.
Redact a PDF before sharing follows Import → Redact → Sanitize → Download. Secure redaction is different from drawing a black rectangle over text; see Secure PDF redaction.
Fill and flatten a PDF form follows Import → Fill form → Flatten → Download. See Fill and flatten a PDF form for when finalizing fields is useful.
Remove before optimizing
Delete unnecessary or blank pages early, then reorder what remains. There is little value in compressing pages that will later be removed. For scans, cleanup may include blank-page removal, color adjustment, cropping and compression. OCR belongs where a usable text layer is actually needed.