Adding a picture or attaching a file to a PDF page
Comment > Add a picture places an image on a PDF page, and Attach a file as a comment pins a file annotation to a spot, all in PDF by Zaweba.
Not every comment is best made with words or shapes. A photo of a damaged part beside the drawing it belongs to, a logo on a cover sheet, a spreadsheet of figures attached to the page that summarises them. PDF by Zaweba has two tools for this in the Comment menu.
Comment > Add a picture places a picture on the page. Attach a file as a comment adds a file annotation, a file tucked into the PDF at a particular spot.
Adding a picture
Add a picture is the quick way to put an image on a page. Choose the picture, place it, and move or resize it until it sits right.
Typical uses include adding a logo to a blank cover page, putting a photo next to the item it shows on an inspection form, dropping a screenshot onto a report, or adding a picture of a handwritten note to a scanned document.
Because the picture is added as a comment, it appears in the Comments panel and can be moved, deleted, given a status or flattened into the page later, like any other comment.
Attaching a file
Attach a file as a comment works differently. It does not show the file on the page. Instead it places a small marker at the spot you choose, and the file itself travels inside the PDF. Whoever opens the PDF can open the attached file from there.
That suits supporting material. A spreadsheet with the calculations behind a figure, the original photo behind a printed thumbnail, a signed form referred to in a letter or a data file that goes with a chart.
The advantage is that everything stays together. Send one PDF and the supporting files go with it, each pinned to the place it relates to.
Show it or attach it
If the reader should see it on the page, add a picture. If the reader might want to open it, attach the file.
Sometimes both make sense. Add a small photo to the page so it is visible, and attach the full-resolution original so anyone who needs detail can open it.
Getting good results
For pictures, choose a sensible size before adding. A huge photo makes the PDF large for no visible gain. For documents that will be emailed, a picture sized for the page is plenty.
For attachments, place the marker right beside what it supports and add a short note, so readers know what is attached and why.
Check the file size after attaching. Attachments travel inside the PDF, so large files make the PDF large too.
How these fit with other tools
Pictures added this way are comments, separate from pages made from pictures. If you want a whole page per photo, File > New can make a PDF from pictures instead. If you want to put a picture into the page content for good, flattening comments fixes it into the page.
When combining files, attachments are kept, so a pack built from several PDFs still carries its supporting files.
Exporting every picture from a PDF later will find pictures on the pages, which is handy if you need the images back out.
Checking before you send
Sending attachments that contain things the reader should not see is the big one. Open each attached file before sending and check it is the right version.
Covering content is the other. Place pictures in clear space, and use a smaller size if they sit over text.
Used with care, pictures and attached files let a PDF carry everything a reader needs in one place, kept together by PDF by Zaweba.
