Text Box tool
The Text Box tool is useful for placing text notes and comments on the PDF. Text is contained within a text box you define, including its size, background color, and other properties.
One or more leader lines can be added to Text Boxes, making them behave effectively like Callouts.
Create a Text Box markup
- Select the Text Box tool using one of the following methods:
- Go to Tools > Markup >
Text Box. - Select on the Text toolbar.
- Press T on the keyboard.
- Go to Tools > Markup >
- Drag a rectangle to define the area of the text box.
- Enter the desired text in the text box. Press ALT+Z to autosize the text box to fit the text.
- Select away from the text box or press ESC to finish.
Remove a Text Box markup
To remove markups from your PDF, do one of the following:
- Select the markup on the PDF or from the Markups list.
- Press Delete on your keyboard, or right-click and select
Delete.
Add, moving, and remove leader lines
You can add leader lines to a Text Box. This can be a useful way to make it clear to what part of the PDF the markup is referring. In addition, you can move existing leader lines so that they anchor to different sides or remove any or all previously added leader lines.
Add leader lines
Users familiar with Revu's Callout tool will correctly observe that a Text Box with a leader line is effectively the same thing. For example, as with Callouts, the terminal points of leader lines added to a Text Box have their own anchors, so moving the Text Box will not affect the position of the leader line's end point, nor will moving the leader line's end point change the position of the text box. Additionally, the leader line's appearance can be configured independently of the Text Box,
), though it will still be categorized as a Text Box, allowing for easier differentiation.As many leader lines as desired can be added to any or all sides of the markup. To add more leader lines, just repeat the process described below.
- Right-click anywhere inside the text box and select
Add Leader. A leader line will appear. - The leader line automatically anchors to the text box at the nearest applicable control point. To anchor it to a different side, move your mouse toward the desired side and it will automatically re-anchor there.
- Select the spot on the PDF where you want the leader line's terminus to be.
Multiple leader lines can originate from the same side of the markup, with their terminal points extending from the same bend (or "knee"). To do this, add a leader line as normal and set it to originate from the same side as an existing one; the terminal point will automatically extend away from the same knee.
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Move leader lines
Leader lines can be moved from one side of the markup to another. When moving a leader line to a side that already has a leader line, it automatically merges with that leader line.
To move a leader line, select the control point on its bend (or "knee") and drag it to the desired side. The line's connection point will automatically shift, but the terminal point will remain in place.
Remove leader lines
There are two ways to remove a leader line:
- Right-click on the desired leader and select
Delete Leader.
- Hold down the SHIFT key and select the control point at the leader line's terminus (you will need to select the markup first to expose its control points).
Resize or adjust a Text Box markup
Select a markup to reveal its control handles. Each handle controls a different aspect of size and orientation.
Rotate the markup: Drag the orange handle outside the markup (default: 15° increments; hold Shift for 1° increments)
To resize the markup, drag the appropriate yellow handle.
To autosize the text box so that it fits the text, right-click it and select Autosize Tex Box, or select it and press ALT+Z.
If leader lines have been added to the Text Box:
To move only the leader terminus, drag its yellow control handle to a new location. The text box will remain in the same location.
To move the entire markup together, hold down ALT while moving any part of the markup.
To move the leader origin from one side of the markup to another, drag the leader line's bend (or "knee") control handle to the desired side. If there is already a leader line on that side, it will be automatically merged with that leader line. See Moving Leader Lines above for more information about moving leader lines.
See Editing Markups for more information.
Add an action to a Text Box markup
You can add an action to almost any markup. Right-click the markup and select Edit Action.
Icon indicators in markups
Markups may display indicator icons below and to the right of the markup (or grouped markups). These include:
Action: Shows that an action is defined for this markup. Select to trigger the action.
Capture: Shows that the markup has embedded media (typically an image or video). Select this icon to open a preview window.
Reply: Shows one or more replies exist in the Markups list. Hover to preview replies or select to jump to the markup's entry. Turn off the ability to see reply indicators in the View menu.
Change the appearance of a Text Box
Appearance of the text and text box of a Text Box markup is configurable. The default setting for this tool is red text with no fill color.
There are two ways to change the default settings of a tool:
- Select an existing example with the desired settings and click Set as Default on its Properties panel.
- Select the tool and change the desired Properties before placing the markup.
The entire contents of a text box can be selected by selecting the text box. Once it has been selected, changing any of the font formatting options will apply to all text within the box.
To select particular words in a text box, select the box to make it active, then drag over the desired text. Any formatting you change in the Properties tab only affects the selected text.
If any leader lines are added, they are also configurable, including options like line color and weight as well as the appearance of the line's terminus.
To change the appearance of a text box and its text, select the markup and select the Properties panel. Go to Window > Panels > Properties to show the Properties panel if it is hidden. Several properties will also be available on the Properties toolbar when the markup is selected.
Appearance properties
The Appearance section of the Properties panel contains the following options:
Color: Sets the color of the text box and leader line, if any.
Fill Color: Controls the fill color of the text box.
Opacity: Sets transparency level for the text box and the leader line.
Fill Opacity: Sets transparency level (100 = opaque, 0 = completely transparent) for the fill color.
Line Width: Sets the thickness of the line segment in points. If the Line Width is set to 0, it is effectively invisible.
Style: Determines the pattern of the line segment. The Cloud style only affects the text box; the leader line (when applicable) is solid. Any styles other than Cloud affects both the text box and the leader line.
Size: Sets the width of the cloud segments. Only applies when Style is set to Cloud.
Invert: Inverts the cloud segments inward on the shape. Only applies when Style is set to Cloud.
Shape: Sets the shape of the text box. Options include Rectangle, Circle, Triangle, and Hexagon. Note that if no Line Width has been set for the text box and the shape is changed, the line width is automatically set to "1.00". This can be changed afterward, if needed.
End: Controls the appearance of the terminal point of the line. These settings are not accessible if no leader line is attached.
- Select the first list to choose a different terminus type.
- Select the second list to choose the size of the line's terminal point (if any).
- Select the color button to change the color of a filled teriminal point, if applicable.
Font: Sets the font used for the selected text. Available fonts are divided into three regions:
- The first region shows all fonts used in the currently selected text element.
- The second region lists the standard PDF fonts that are supported by all PDF viewers. These fonts don't need to be embedded in the PDF when used, thereby cutting down on file size.
- The third region shows all other available fonts. When used, these fonts need to be embedded in the PDF.
Font settings are retained in the PDF and will substitute as needed if the original font is unavailable.
Font Size: Sets the font size for text. You can choose a size from 2 to 72 points in the list, or enter any value from 1 to 144 points manually. You can also use decimal values with one digit after the decimal point.
Auto: Automatically adjusts the font size of the text to the maximum value that will fit in the text box.
Line Space: Adjusts the spacing between multi-line rows of text.
Margin: Defines the amount of space between the text characters and the border of the Text Box.
Text Color: Sets the color of text.
Alignment: Defines the alignment of text within the box. The icons represent Left, Center, Right, Top Justified, Middle Justified and Bottom Justified respectively.
The Font Style settings control the formatting of the text. Options include Bold, Italic, Underline, Strikethrough, Superscript and Subscript. Generally, any combination of these styles can be applied to format the text.
