PDF Markup Programs


builtright3
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Good morning from wonderful Michigan!
 

I'm looking for a program that I can use to markup PDF's and other documents like a plan checker would do for corrections or as I have seen some of you do to help other on the forum.
I have "Adobe DC" but the markup capabilities are limited and the windows "snipping tool" isn't near advanced enough.
Does anyone have suggestions for me for what I'm looking for? Some of these programs out their like "eCopy" can be very expensive and I don"t mind spending some money but I don't want it to break the bank account either. 


Any help or direction would be much appreciated.

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You may wish to check out PDF-Viewer, it's free and has a wide range of markup tools. Have used it for several decades and it works well. It will also allow you to password the PDF doc so others can't alter your changes or you can convert the PDF doc into an image. Probably about as many tools as you will be able to get for free, they also have a paid for version that offers even more features.

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46 minutes ago, TheKitchenAbode said:

You may wish to check out PDF-Viewer, it's free and has a wide range of markup tools. Have used it for several decades and it works well. It will also allow you to password the PDF doc so others can't alter your changes or you can convert the PDF doc into an image. Probably about as many tools as you will be able to get for free, they also have a paid for version that offers even more features.


Can you be a little more specific on the name of it? Several different types or Viewers come up in a search

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1 minute ago, builtright3 said:


Can you be a little more specific on the name of it? Several different types or Viewers come up in a search

 

Here's a link to it. You can also check out other available programs in the SnapFiles site. They have a section for free and paid for software. This site is good and have used it for many years, the only thing to watch for is that some freeware will want to install some other software. SnapFiles usually notes this in the description so you can make sure to uncheck the option when installing.

 

https://www.snapfiles.com/get/pdfxchangeviewer.html

 

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3 minutes ago, TheKitchenAbode said:

 

Here's a link to it. You can also check out other available programs in the SnapFiles site. They have a section for free and paid for software. This site is good and have used it for many years, the only thing to watch for is that some freeware will want to install some other software. SnapFiles usually notes this in the description so you can make sure to uncheck the option when installing.

 

https://www.snapfiles.com/get/pdfxchangeviewer.html

 

 

Thank you! This and the other program so far recommended are great but are so far apart from each other for what they can do. I have my research cut out for me. I'm not even sure what I want or need until I research it.

 

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@builtright3 - Bluebeam has a YouTube page...you should watch some of the videos.  Bluebeam is a tool designed for construction and PDF's.  I used it for 2 years without any training...and was amazed at what it could do.  And...I never scratched the surface. 

 

Here is a link to their Youtube page: 

 

 

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@builtright3 - I'll just say this about Bluebeam.  It isn't just a PDF annotation/markup software...it has been designed for construction use. It has tools you will relate to and know how to use.  See if you can get a trial version...give it a shot.  It's an amazing piece of software.  

 

That said, If all you need is a markup program to add some text notes, arrows and some other simple text to a PDF...then yes, something less expensive would be a smart move. 

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33 minutes ago, SNestor said:

@builtright3 - I'll just say this about Bluebeam.  It isn't just a PDF annotation/markup software...it has been designed for construction use. It has tools you will relate to and know how to use.  See if you can get a trial version...give it a shot.  It's an amazing piece of software.  

 

That said, If all you need is a markup program to add some text notes, arrows and some other simple text to a PDF...then yes, something less expensive would be a smart move. 

I'm going to download it later tonight and take it for a trial run. 

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I just recently installed the free app Greenshot, after having a problem with Techsmith's Jing which I had been using for years.

 

No .pdfs though.  This is an image in .png format.

 

I am just getting into it, but text must be in boxes to be added, which I was used to from Jing.  I like the obfuscate tool, which I used here to show you.

 

Also attached is a .png of a .pdf layout page I did using Greenshot .png clips taken from a Sketchup file, to convey truss envelopes to the truss engineer for a job being started now.  They imported into Chief nicely and resized just as I wanted them.

2020-07-21 10_22_31-PDF Markup Programs - General Q & A - ChiefTalk Forum.png

2020-07-21 10_36_41-Sheet A19 only corrected.pdf - Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.png

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On 7/20/2020 at 8:28 AM, SNestor said:

Bluebeam if you are on a PC.  Incredible program...I wish there was a MAC version. 

There is an older mac version which is still supported until the end of the year.  They will make you sign an end of life acknowledgment agreement and I think they dropped the price to $149 if I remember right.  It actually works identically to the PC version and the main developer told me there plan was to unofficially support it until there web version comes out which at that time their plan is to drop the desktop versions for all platforms.  Well worth it to me.  Especially if you do some construction estimating/take-off work like I do.

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15 hours ago, HumbleChief said:

Been using Foxit for a very long time. Have no idea how it compares to BlueBeam, which I don't consider 'reasonably priced', but it has served me for years for my perhaps simple PDF needs.

 

https://www.foxitsoftware.com/shopping/

Reasonable depends. A simple PDF markup software cannot compare to the abilities in Bluebeam. And - BB has tools directly related to construction built into the program. I would agree that for most of us it might be overkill...but if you can afford it - it’s a great program. When I was using it I was working for a large production home builder where efficiency outweighed the expense.  

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9 minutes ago, SNestor said:

Reasonable depends. A simple PDF markup software cannot compare to the abilities in Bluebeam. And - BB has tools directly related to construction built into the program. I would agree that for most of us it might be overkill...but if you can afford it - it’s a great program. When I was using it I was working for a large production home builder where efficiency outweighed the expense.  

Of course, if I worked for a large production home builder it might make sense but for my usage 'overkill' and I would not suggest what might be good for an individual user. It's also been a very long time since I shopped for PDF software and again would not suggest that Foxit will work for anyone else, or even that it's good in any objective manner, just another option.

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