Rich text in comment text boxes in PDF by Zaweba

Adding words to a PDF that aren't part of the original text is one of the most common jobs people have. A note for a colleague, a correction marked on a proof, an answer typed beside a question. PDF by Zaweba does this with the Comment text box tool, and its editor lets you style individual words, so a note can have its own emphasis instead of being one flat block of text.

A box, not an edit

It helps to know the difference between two tools. Edit text changes the words that are already in the PDF, in place. There is no new text box in Edit text mode. The Comment text box tool is separate: it adds a box of your own text on top of the page as a comment.

Use Edit text to correct the document itself. Use a comment text box when you want to add something visible that is clearly an addition, such as a note, an instruction, a label on a drawing or a typed answer.

Styling chosen words

When you add a text box, or choose Change text on one already on the page, an editor opens. In it, chosen words can get sans serif, serif or monospaced type, a size, bold, italic, underline and a colour.

That means a single box can carry more than plain text. Make the first word of an instruction bold so it stands out. Put a reference number in monospaced type so each character is clear. Colour a warning red and leave the rest of the note black. Underline the word that changed in a correction.

The three kinds of type cover the usual needs. Sans serif is clean and easy on screen, good for most notes. Serif suits longer passages that will be printed. Monospaced lines characters up evenly, which helps with codes, part numbers and anything where an O and a 0 must not be confused.

Writing good notes

Keep each box short and about one thing. Several small boxes beside the parts they refer to are easier to follow than one long box at the top of the page.

Use emphasis sparingly. If everything is bold and red, nothing stands out. One coloured or bold phrase per note is usually plenty.

Pick a size that reads at the zoom people will use. A note in tiny type might look tidy at 200 percent and be unreadable when the page is printed.

Place boxes so they don't cover the text they refer to. The rulers, grid and guides in PDF by Zaweba help line notes up neatly down a margin.

Changing a box later

Choose Change text on a text box to open the same editor again. You can rewrite the note or restyle words without deleting and starting over, which is handy as a review goes back and forth.

Text boxes among the other markup tools

Text boxes are part of the commenting tools in PDF by Zaweba, alongside the other ways of marking up a page. They suit reviews, proofs and instructions. For filling in a form that has no fields, Fill and sign has its own text tool, along with ticks, crosses and today's date, and its items can be flattened into the page when you save.

With a little styling, a comment text box becomes a clear, readable note rather than a sticker of plain text, and the person reading it knows at a glance what matters.