Every set I issue has different title blocks and revision notes and the city reviewer keeps asking for consistent shee…
Open your PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.
Click the Comment button in the toolbar to display the commenting tools.
Select the annotation tool you want to use, such as Note, Highlight, Text Box, or Draw.
Click on the PDF page where you want to add your comment or annotation.
Type your comment or draw your annotation as needed.
Click away from the annotation or press Escape to save your comment or annotation.
You can use multiple annotation types in one session, such as highlighting text and adding sticky notes for detailed feedback.
This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.
Comments are usually text-based notes, like sticky notes or text boxes, used to add opinions or questions. Markups are visual changes to the document itself, such as highlighting text, underlining, striking through words, or drawing shapes. Both help with review, but comments add information, while markups draw attention to existing content.
Comments and markups exist on a separate layer above the main document content. If you save the file but do not 'flatten' or 'sanitize' it before sharing, the recipient might not see your comments, especially if they use a different PDF viewer or an older version of Acrobat. To ensure comments are always visible, use 'Protect > Sanitize' to make them a permanent part of the PDF, or 'Print to PDF' to flatten the document.
When reviewing with many people, use distinct comment types for different feedback. For example, use sticky notes for general thoughts, highlights for text needing attention, and drawing markups for layout suggestions. Encourage everyone to use their name or initials in comments. After collecting all feedback, you can sort and filter comments to manage the review process more easily, which helps organize changes.