Finally, a way to annotate PDF files under Linux (provided you can run Wine)
I have been looking for years for a solution to annotate PDF files from my Linux box. I usually do a lot of proof-reading, and these highlight and post-it features are just gold when you have to transmit your comments using the internet.
On the other hand, there is as far as I know NO software that can add annotations to PDF files in a clean way. Here are the ones I tried:
One of the reason why PDF annotation support is so poor is no Linux PDF library supports it. As a consequence, software that uses them cannot neither. So we will probably we stuck with this situation until GNU PDF gets mature (which may take a while).
The solution came from the controversial Wine. I resigned myself to try a couple of Windows software under it. This is where I realized that the Windows software world is very different - Foxit requires to try some shit before you can download it freely, other software is paying, and so on. Moments like that remind me why I'm not part of this world.
But, finally, I found an assle-free, doing-the-job software that just installs and works flawlessly under Wine. It is called PDF-XChange Viewer and did not ask me to waste my time of my money before I can use it. Just needed to download the installation binary, gave it to wine, then run the software through wine without any particular twiddling. It just worked.
Sure, this is not free (as in free speech) software, nor is it native Linux, but waiting for a real free solution this is still a better compromise than dual-booting or buying software that doesn't work.
Comments
PDF editor
Inkscape can import beautifully a pdf while preserving fonts and look. Unfortunately, Inkscape can only import one page at the time... But you can use pdftk to concatenate the different pages together.
Inkscape permits whatever you want : add text, edit existing text, add an image, a shape, anything solid or with transparency. When your work is done, you simply print from Inkscape in a pdf using your pdf printer (you've already added cups-pdf) and your original text is preserved and the differents annotations are added. Beautiful !
Right, but the problem here
Right, but the problem here is that your annotations are not using the PDF annotation markup, which makes it non-convenient to share with other users. Actually this solution is close to Xournal and co. We really need a good, native tool to add annotations in PDFs that are recognized as such by all tools (i.e. you can show or hide them, etc)
Thank you
Hi,
I have been looking for something to annotate pdfs in linux and had faced the same frustrations as you with Xournal, foxit, pdfedit, and okular. I tried PDF-Xchange Viewer and it works flawlessly. The only missing features are that I cannot instert text as comments (I can instert text, but it is not a pop-up like replace text), and print with comments (print to pdf gives a blank pdf).
Adobe reader on linux also cannot print annotations. So, although PDF-Xchange allows me to create a pdf with annotations, I cannot print these annotations :-(
Printing with PDF Xchange Viewer
I have deployed this tool universally in my organization. I've even upgraded it to the Pro version (some benefits). It's been great for a few years now. Your problem with printing the PDF... blank... It's the print driver... I can print my PDF's successfully with annotations. BTW, the pro version allows your to "Flatten Comments" (which are the annotations) and makes tham part of the PDF. Other wonderful tools in it are, Stamps, Text boxes without bordes (essentially allowing you to "white out" areas on the PDF), Sticky notes, Text Cross out and more. AND... it uses a ton less resources than adobe. and at 14MB is a ton smaller. :-)
How to set up printing?
I am running version 2.0 build 40 under Wine and it loads and annotates wonderfully. Printing, however, causes the application to lock up and crash. Any ideas on how to fix this?
Thank you, and a question
Thanks for blogging this. It helped confirm my suspicions. I reviewed a document in Okular fully expecting it supported annotations compatible with Adobe Reader! This was nice to know before I reviewed a few more!
I noticed your comment about Xournal, what are other derivatives of it ?
Basically, applications using
Basically, applications using the same engine with a different GUI. Gournal comes to mind, but there are a couple others.
best solution for annotating PDFs "in" linux
I wanted to thank you very much, because I tried so long and so hard to find a solution that lets me annotate pdfs within linux.
In addition to xournal and PDFedit I also tried Jarnal, a cool java tool that I would rate second-best because it saves the annotations correctly but it "highlights" text by putting color on top of it (like xournal).
Another windows tool I tried via wine is "PDF Annotator" by Grahl (I used it for a year within windows, its very good) but I needs additional ink-able software which can not be installed via wine ...
To sum it up: I recommend every body using linux to quickly install wine and PDF-Xchange-Viewer beacuse it works perfectly (Ubuntu 8.04) and it is the only possiblity to realy highlight and save PDFs for free in linux.
Thank You!
I was looking for some way to do this. I rely on annotations and highlighting heavily during my research. It worked flawlessly on Fedora 10 and Wine. Many thanks..
Foxit works too
I use Foxit Reader and Wine flawlessly too. It's adware and the unlimited trial version restricts how many edits you can make to a document (to like 3 or something). But if you have (paid or somehow otherwise acquired) a license key Foxit is probably the best Linux solution. Also, I have Foxit installed on my Windows partition and I simply clicked THAT executable in a file browser in Ubuntu (8.10) and Wine automatically ran it.
What Linux really needs is a native pdf reader that does simple things like basic annotation markup (comments, highlighting, etc.), and ideally graphical page cropping. The awful state of pdf on Linux is what makes it nearly unusuable for serious academics (since essentially every electronic journal format is pdf).
this is also my choice. but i
this is also my choice. but i don't understand why foxit doesn't make normal linux version of its viewer.
LaTeX
For serious academics works, you should use LaTeX. It produces pdf files and works great on Linux.
Missed the point
LaTeX is a great tool for producing academic documents indeed. But the subject of this post is tools that allow readers of such PDF documents to annotate them efficiently.
finally!
thank you, it works for me too!
Thanks!!!!!!
Thanks!!!!!!
Thanks
Thanks a lot. I have been searching for such a solution from so long and have tried all the things which you have mentioned but none worked. FInally read this page. Thanks
Thanks!
I've had the same Problem for ages, and after trying out PDFedit and even OpenOffice 3.0, I always resorted to printing PDFs and adding comments on the paper :-(
But now, thanks to your hint, I can finally work completely digitally :-)
BTW: I tried out FoxitReader for Linux 10 minutes ago and it worked - but it does not (yet) have an "Add comment" feature, so to date, PDF-XChange Viewer is still the best solution.
very useful post, using your
very useful post, using your solution myself right now!
A native application for gnu/linux which allowed us to fully edit pdf files is much needed though. Right now you need at least 3 programs to do so, or at least I do.
The best application running natively in gnu/linux I found is PDF Studio. Not open source but at least sells at a reasonable price, seems to bee multiplatform too (java).
Kudos! :)
Thanks a lot!
I just tested it. PDF-XChange Viewer works fairly well in CrossOverLinux.
Finally a cheap and easy "PDF editor" that I can offer the Linux users at work! :)
Thanks
Thank you! I was searching for a well-performanced pdf-markup solution, and I've found it in your post.
xavi
Update FF file associations so pdf docs open in pdf-xchange?
Great blog, thanks! I've actually been using pdf-xchange in Windows for a while (and really love it), and have recently installed Ubuntu onto my laptop making for a dual-boot system. I've installed pdf-xchange under Wine in Ubuntu with no problems - but what I'm at a bit of a loss with is how to change the file associations in FireFox so that pdf links I click on in FF open in pdf-xchange (whether inside the browser or separately). You wouldn't have any tips on this by any chance?
In Firefox, go to
In Firefox, go to Edit->Preferences->Applications. There you can change any file association and I guess it is not a problem to change it for wine or a script that calls it for you.
:-)
A great way! thanks!
Adobe Reader (Linux Version) Works Too
Hi there,
In terms of markup and annotation, Adobe Reader (Linux version) works flawless on Ubuntu and other linux platforms. The only trouble is that you need an Acrobat Pro to grant user right so that the pdf file becomes markable within Adobe Reader. Acrobat Pro costs hundreds of dollars. But if you are with a corporation, usually you don't have to pay a penny out of your own pocket.
On the other hand, there is not linux version of Acrobat Pro at the moment. So it is a pain-in-the-ass to go back to Windows to do the user right thing.
In this regard, PDF-XChange Viewer+Wine seems to be a neat solution.
sad but true
I've just gone to try latest PDFEdit to see if it would now solve the problem, but despite being a nice app, it is not fit for purpose of annotating and commenting a PDF. Like the original poster, I am resorting to PDF-XChange Viewer under wine . A really sad state of affairs for the Open Source community...
Thanks for the tip !
Thanks for the tip !
Ever tried PDFStudio?
PDFStudio is java based and works fine under linux. But it's commercial software. You can download a testing version for free.
great tool
i was looking for a tool to add comments and annotations to pdfs (in native way) under linux. Tried pdfedit, but it is about editing layout and adding/editing text, not about reviewing.
the only solution for reviewing seems to be wine + PDF-XChange Viewer. Played around with it a little and so far it works flawlessly (kubuntu 9.10)
thanks for letting know about this tool
Thanx so much!
Thanks! Finally something
Thanks! Finally something that works!