How to Handle Word and PDF
eEditing/eCommenting/eAnnotating

Date: March 21, 2007
      No doubt about it, using Acrobat PDF files makes life a whole lot easier at work. But Adobe Acrobat Full System (Standard or Pro) costs a few hundred and if you don't have it at work, at home, or know someone who will let you move your files to their system to use their software, you are stuck with Word.

      First step, make sure you are running a very good quality Virus program. MacAfee or Norton. Never mind, run the latest (for your operating system) version of Word. And make sure you subscribe to on-line updating of the virus files. They update weekly at the minimum and more often when a new virus is launched that could cripple systems. PCs are vulnerable.

      Virus programs, Trojan programs, and Worms can cripple your system, or worse. The worst of these could crash your hard drive. You don't want to tote them around in a Microsoft word file.

      Second, be sure every member of your group that will be emailing files around is also protected. You don't want to have a nasty arrive uninvited.

      (Of course, you could chicken out and do what I do, and simply get a Mac! I still run Norton.)

      Third, don't email a full 100,000 word manuscript to a friend.
      Arrange for pieces.
      Agree ahead of time.
      Some email systems block large attachments.
      Yes, PDF makes smaller files - but if they don't know the limits on their system (could be 1 MB, could be 1/2 that), you still want to keep the files small.
Editing is best done in chunks in any case. A better method is to put the file someplace on-line and email the link to it. This keeps bandwidth under control.

      Lastly, agree on how you will do eComments or eNotes. Everyone should use the SAME method.
      Word can do comment lines at the bottom and Word can do balloons.
      PDF can do Balloons. Notes in PDF can become Comments in WORD.

      On the Mac (I am using version 2001), I have just lines at the bottom but I can merge. (I have an update for office lurking on my shelf. Must get to that.) Both Word and PDF allow you to merge comments, export comments. FIles that are comments and edits only are called markup files. They are usually stored in PDF format.

      On the PC, to add a comment, it's as easy as Insert > Comment and type. Put the cursor where you want the comment "tethered", click Insert>Comment, Type in the comment space, done. Remember to SAVE the document!

      Another thing for some people to do:

      Go to Tools > Track Changes and Click - this tracks ANY changes you make in a document. (You must also remember to Save the document!)

      Options allow you to track edits
      You can insert and it will be marked. Delete and it will be marked.
      This is inserted text. (Well - it was in the WORD file!)

      You can toggle track changes on and off (TRK at the bottom of the Word page). You can export both comments and tracked changes from Word into a "markup" file. In the print window, select "List of Markup" (in the "Print What" pull down window) and print to PDF (I prefer this one) or to another file or to a printer. Or just leave everything in your copy of the file.

      Markup files for Word list the page and edit. They list comments, inserts and deletes including formatting (unless you are careful).

      PDF files have "Notes" - yellow balloons. You can use Notes if you own a full copy of Acrobat (not the reader).
      OR
      The person who sent the PDF files to you sent a "Tagged" PDF file, in which case you CAN use Notes with Acrobat Reader (7.01+), which is FREE. (This is a little back-door solution. If you have the Acrobat server package, then any edits made on an emailed PDF file gets auto-imported into the master (collection of edits). Without the server piece, this must be done manually.)

      Full Acrobat can merge notes from several files into the master file. And it can print out the markup file. A Full Acrobat package is required to generate a "Tagged" file.

      You can merge edits from one file to another with both systems - but that is more complicated.