What Are Annotations and How Should You Use Them in Your PDF Files?
The additional objects that can be added to the document are known as annotations. The annotation helps to make the content of the document clearer. By using annotations, the user can expand the information presented in the document. In order to provide clarification to the readers, annotations are important in PDFs because it is not easy to edit the PDF format files. Although, there are many Best PDF Converters available that can convert the PDF files into format that are easily editable but instead of doing conversion, adding annotations is an easy option. PDF version of documents supports many types of annotations such as the addition of sticky notes, marking of the text in the document, adding a new text box etc.
Different Types of Annotations:
There are different types of annotations and can be divided into three basic categories.
1) Text:
The annotations that can be added to the content of the document lies in this category. These annotations are used to divert the user’s attention to the point where some alteration or clarification in the text is needed. For example, there is an option of Strike Through, which is used to mark a piece of text that is required to be removed from the content. Text can also be added to the document in the shape of Free Text / Comment. Pop-ups can also be allocated to the text annotations which allow the user to add more details.
2) Shape:
The annotations that lie in this category appear in the form of page shapes in the PDF document. The user can use these shapes in different sections of the page. These shapes have various uses and the user is allowed to place these shapes anywhere on the PDF page. Pop-ups can also be used for providing more description. Apart from the basic shapes, there are also some special shapes such as boxes which can be filled with the data.
3) Additional Functionality:
Additional functionalities can be added to a PDF document by using the annotations which lie in this group. These functionalities can include but are not limited to playing of a sound on clicking an icon, embedded links, videos and other media files and attachment of multiple files in the PDF document. Generally, these functionalities are not used in annotations and are added in the main content of the document.
How to Add Annotations in PDF files:
Usually the PDF files are “read only” and can be read easily by any of the Best PDF Reader available. As the read only files are not editable, so annotations can be used in the PDF files that makes the content clearer. Annotations can be added to the PDF document by using PDF readers such as Adobe Acrobat, Classic PDF Editor and Foxit Reader, etc. These software programs provide the add annotation option in their tool bars which allows the user to easily add annotations to the document.
