Proofing PDF files without an annotation tool should not be a thing—it’s an unnecessarily complicated process that requires too many lengthy emails with explanations that are difficult to fit into context.
You can click anywhere in the doc to leave comments where edits are needed.
What’s more, your teammates can see your feedback in real-time at their end. This means your team’s email inboxes will no longer be harmed in the proofing process.
Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the cruelty-free feedback sessions!
That’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of benefits. Let’s dive under the surface.
If you can’t stand writing novel-length emails when proofing text-filled PDF pages, we’ve got good news.
PDF annotation to the rescue! 🦸
We’ve introduced you to what PDF annotators can help you do.
Now, we’re going to give you five examples of PDF annotation tools and their capabilities.
Let’s start with MarkUp.io—the leading visual commenting platform used by professionals like you for streamlining their creative workflows through seamless feedback sessions.
MarkUp.io streamlines communication and collaboration with its annotation features, intuitive interface, and sleek design.
Think of it as a smarter workbench for creatives to communicate their innovative ideas to clients and colleagues.
The platform makes it easier than ever for teams to review and collaborate openly on design assets, marketing collateral, and other deliverables in real-time using conversation-style commenting tools.
Moreover, MarkUp.io is available on both Mac and Windows devices!
Not only that, but MarkUp.io can also be used on any internet browser (And if you’re a Google Chrome user, you can download this extension to easily provide and collect feedback on any live website, PDF or image directly from your browser).
Who is MarkUp.io ideal for?
MarkUp.io is ideal for teams of any size—from small businesses to large enterprises. Additionally, the platform is a perfect fit for creative freelancers.
Features
When using MarkUp.io as a PDF annotator, you can benefit from features such as:
Plus, you can use our tool for note-taking. Our Markup.io Chrome extension is actually an ideal note tool as it enables you to create MarkUps of any webpage.
Pricing
MarkUp.io offers a free plan as well as two paid plans designed to support small to mid-sized teams and enterprises. Learn more about our pricing here. You can also give our paid features a try by signing up for a free 30-day trial.
Adobe Acrobat is a great multi-device tool for professionals who need to create, edit, review, and convert PDF files using the same platform. It’s available for multiple operating systems, including Android, macOS (iPad and iPhone), Windows, etc.
Moreover, Acrobat is a complex solution with a lot of features that enable users to collaborate seamlessly in digital-first organizations, allowing effortless workflow sync within remote teams.
Who is it ideal for?
Adobe Acrobat Reader is suitable for individual, educational, and business use.
According to their pricing tiers, Acrobat can be used by any business with over five employees.
Features
Acrobat is a complete PDF-focused solution with features that include:
Adobe’s platform also features a freehand drawing tool and a text highlighter.
Pricing
The tool’s versatility is reflected in the available pricing models that are divided by use cases.
Namely, Adobe Acrobat offers different pricing options for individuals, businesses, students and teachers. Today, we’ll only look at the business pricing plans.
Adobe Acrobat DC for business has two pricing models:
Markup Hero is another easy-to-use PDF annotator that makes online collaboration simple.
What’s more, Markup Hero enables users to share important documents instantly with customers, partners, or co-workers by simply sending them a URL with a PDF markup.
Who is it ideal for?
Markup Hero is designed for freelancers, as well as small and medium-sized businesses.
Features
The most relevant features offered by Markup Hero include:
Pricing
Markup Hero offers only one premium pricing plan that starts at $4/month. The other two plans are free and come with limited features.
Pastel is a PDF annotation tool that helps teams streamline their proofing process and work in sync by providing a collaboration space where creatives can work together and progress from initial concept to live product.
Who is it ideal for?
Pastel is a marketing-focused solution, but it can also be used by people in different professions. The platform is suitable for freelancers and small businesses, as well as enterprise-sized teams.
Features
The most relevant Pastel features for annotating PDFs include:
Pricing
Pastel’s pricing ranges from $29 to $350 per month, depending on the size of the team using the platform. When billed annually, discounts apply. Plus, they offer a free pricing plan with a three-day commenting window for one user.
GoVisually is a visual design proofing platform that allows users to upload and share their designs across various file formats and get feedback that’s clear, concise, and contextual.
It’s a simple and intuitive tool that allows creatives to upload their deliverables and have them reviewed by other users from all over the world both quickly and easily.
Who is it ideal for?
GoVisually is ideal for smaller teams and freelancers. Also, it’s great for remote teams that want to collaborate more efficiently.
Features
GoVisually offers a wide range of features, including:
Pricing
GoVisually provides four pricing models that range from $9 to $999 per month.
In case we’ve won your heart, and you’ve decided that MarkUp.io is the right PDF annotator for your business, we’ll show you how to use our tool to annotate PDF files.
The first thing you need to do is to log into your MarkUp.io account and click on the “Upload” button.
Then, you can either drag and drop your PDF into the “Upload Files” box or click on “Browse” and choose a PDF file from your computer.
Once your file has been uploaded, our tool creates a PDF MarkUp that becomes available on your MarkUp.io Workspace.
The PDF MarkUp is actually a copy of your PDF in PNG format. Neat, right?
Now, to open the MarkUp, you can simply hover your cursor over it and left-click on the “Open” button.
When you open a MarkUp, you have the ability to resize it by adjusting the zoom level from the toolbar at the top of the page. The tool also features a full-screen mode that you can enable by clicking on the square icon in the top-right corner.
It’s time to begin adding comments to the PDF MarkUp.
To add a comment, simply click anywhere inside the PDF MarkUp and the text box will ✨magically✨ appear.
Then, you can start writing your edit suggestions in the comment box. As you write, you can use multiple text formatting tools from the comment toolbar to convey your message more efficiently.
The MarkUp toolbar includes:
As soon as you’re done with the text, you can click on the “Post” button placed at the bottom of the annotation toolbar to make your comment live.
After a comment becomes active, teammates can reply to your comment and ask for clarifications or even challenge your opinion.
Jokes aside, the ability to communicate directly in the annotation tool improves collaboration and keeps every piece of information and feedback in the same place.
But wait – there’s more!
You can also attach files to your comments. Plus, MarkUp.io’s Loom integration enables you to record videos and add them to your comments to clarify any edits you want to be made.
To use the video comment option, click on the video icon at the bottom-right corner of the comment box.
Next, a Loom popup menu will appear in the top-right corner of the page.
As soon as that happens, click on the “Start recording” button to start filming your explanatory video.
The ability to provide quick verbal explanations instead of writing them is a productivity game-changer.
If you decide to use our Loom integration, the video you record is displayed in the respective comment as a link that your team can easily access.
All the posted comments are displayed on the left side of the screen under the “Active” tab.
Once an active comment is resolved, it is automatically transferred to the “Resolved” tab, which serves as a comment archive.
And if you accidentally resolve a comment, you can easily go back and unresolve that comment.
The comment history helps you keep tabs on which comments were requested, implemented, or are in progress.
After you’ve finished adding your feedback, share the annotated PDF MarkUp with your team.
All you have to do is click the “Share” button. You have two options to choose from when it comes to sharing:
That’s pretty much all you need to know about PDF annotation. You’re now ready to get started with painless proofing.
Now that you’re pretty much a PDF annotation expert, first, we’d like to welcome you to the club!
You know what PDF annotation is, how to find the perfect tool for it, and how to annotate any PDF file.
It’s time you put that knowledge to good use!
We’re here to guide you through it, so don’t worry. The first step is creating a MarkUp.io account and the rest will fall into place.
Ready for a no tears feedback process? Click here for seamless PDF proofing!
