Adobe Reader 8

Add comments in a text box or callout

Commenting tools are available only in PDFs that have commenting enabled. PDFs in a review workflow typically include commenting rights.

You can use the Text Box tool to create a box that contains text. You can position it anywhere on the page and adjust it to any size. A text box remains visible on the document page; it doesn’t close like a pop-up note.

Another way to add a text box is simply to paste copied text into the PDF. Text font and size are based on the system default settings.

Note: You can add comments to Japanese, Chinese, and Korean text with the Text Box tool, but you must have the Asian-language resource files installed. Text boxes allow for horizontal text only.

You can use the Callout tool  to create a callout text box. Callout text boxes are especially useful when you want to single out—but not obscure—a particular area of a document. Callout text boxes have three parts: a text box, a knee line, and an end-point line. You can resize each part by dragging a handle. The knee line can be resized in one direction only; horizontal knee lines can be resized horizontally only; vertical knee lines can be resized vertically only. The text box expands vertically as you type so that all text remains visible.

You can move the text box bar itself or together with the end-point line. The text box moves around a stationary anchor point—the arrow on the end-point line—which is created when you first click in the PDF. You can modify the color and appearance of the text box and add arrows or leaders to the end-point line.

Add a text box

  1. Choose Tools > Comment & Markup > Text Box Tool .
  2. Click in the PDF.
  3. Choose View > Toolbars > Properties Bar, and set the color, alignment, and font attributes for the text.
  4. Type the text.

    Text wraps automatically when it reaches the right edge of the box.

  5. (Optional) To make further changes to the text box:

    • Using the Select tool or the Text Box tool, click an edge of the text box to select it, and then drag a corner to resize it. Use the Properties toolbar to change the border and fill options.

    • Double-click the text box to edit the text or change the text attributes. Drag across text to select it, and then select options from the Properties toolbar.

  6. To delete the text box, right-click/Control-click the text box, and then choose Delete.
    You can also paste a block of text by selecting and copying the text in any application, selecting the Hand tool in Acrobat, and choosing Edit > Paste.

Add a callout

  1. Choose Tools > Comment & Markup > Callout tool .
  2. Click once to set the location of the end point, and click again to set the location of the text box.
  3. Choose View > Toolbars > Properties Bar, and select the color, alignment, and font attributes for the text.
  4. Type the text.

    Text wraps automatically when it reaches the right edge of the box.

  5. (Optional) To make further changes to the text box:

    • To resize the callout, select it and drag any of the handles that appear.

    • To move the text box, click inside the box and drag it.

    • To move the entire callout, click either the end-point line or an edge of the text box, and drag it.

    • To change the color, opacity, or line characteristics, use the Select tool to right-click/Control-click the callout, choose Properties, and select the options you want.