These instructions will show staff and students how they can add text, shapes and basic hand-drawn elements to a PDF. This may be useful if you are marking assignments sent as PDFs, or adding questions/answers/comments to PDF documents. Currently district computers may have either Acrobat Reader DC or Acrobat Pro DC installed. There are important differences between these similar sounding apps, as described below, but these instructions will apply to both versions. Home users with personal devices who install Acrobat Reader (a free download) can also use these instructions.
NOTE: Mac users should learn to use the built in Preview app, as it offers most of the features of Acrobat DC Pro for free. Chromebook users can use the Read & Write PDF Viewer (when signed into their district G Suite accounts) as documented in this Tech Tip.
Acrobat Reader DC vs. Acrobat Pro DC
Acrobat Reader is the free to download application created by Adobe for viewing PDFs. No licence or sign in is required to use this app, although if you push the wrong button you will be prompted to purchase a licence. Earlier versions of Reader came with limited features, and users would buy a separate app—called Acrobat Exchange—if they needed to edit PDFs. Today all of the editing tools are bundled into Acrobat Reader DC, but some of them only work with the paid, or Pro, version of the app. Unfortunately free and paid features are mixed in together rather deceptively, and when a Pro tool is clicked annoying pop-up ads and an Adobe Sign In window appear on the screen. The diagram below shows you which tools are free to use, and which ones should be avoided if you are using the Reader version.
With Pro all of the editing features are unlocked, allowing staff to add/remove pages, edit the actual text, and/or convert the document to Word or some other format for editing. Some basic instructions on using Acrobat Pro can be found here. As of May 2020 there are still Pro licences available to staff with district supplied computers; requests can be made by submitting a Help Desk ticket.
The tools you can use
This image shows you which tools are available to use with the free version (Pro users can skip ahead to the next section):
Marking Up Documents
This image shows you how the Comment tool can be used to add text, shapes and hand-drawn formulas, symbols, etc. to an existing PDF. Any changes you make will need be saved by typing “CTRL”+”s” or clicking the save icon in the top row of icons (looks like a floppy disk, if that is a helpful description at all).
Removing Pages with Acrobat Reader DC
You cannot add or rearrange pages with Acrobat Reader DC, but you can remove them by reprinting the PDF and selecting which pages you will keep in the Print dialogue box. Start by clicking the print icon or typing “Ctrl” + “p.”
