.png?width=300&height=300&name=annotate%20(3).png "Annotation & Markup Tools - Aproove")
Select different PDF layer combinations. Plus much more!
Rotate your proofs for ease of reading
Classify, search and report on annotations
Unique to Aproove Work Management, the Multi-Function Markup Tool enables users to markup a proof in different ways using just one smart tool.
Aproove Work Management created a single markup tool that has the intelligence to detect what content you are reviewing, which enables users to have a more efficient and user-friendly proofing experience.
Having a single multi-function markup tool results in minimal end-user training, which makes for a much smoother onboarding and user experience.
Having multiple tools in a pallet adds more complexity to the user experience and can become frustrating and confusing when you have to keep switching between tools.
One tool with Four functions:
1. Sticky Note Tool
Click anywhere on your proof to mark where you want to create a note:
2. Freehand markup tool
Click and drag to draw any freehand shape. Draw around an object to highlight an area; you can even draw multiple lines or shapes and attach them to a single note!
3. Text extraction and markup tool
Position the markup tool over any text and select single characters, words, or entire paragraphs.
The highlighted text will appear in the note where you can add, remove, or edit the text. Any extracted text will be colored RED, and any additional text you add will be colored GREEN so you can quickly identify what changes got made to the text.
4. Fixed Box markup tool
Click and drag, holding down the shift key to form a square or rectangle box. Once you have drawn the shape, you will get prompted to add a note. Useful for highlighting blocks of text, image crops, or entire areas of content.
We like to keep the user interface simple, which is why we invented the multi-function markup tool; however, some production users may need to do more, which is why we have the Production and Packaging tools.
With the simple click of a button, you can enable the Production & Packaging tools for your more advanced users. This can be done on a per-user basis, meaning you do not have to confuse your standard reviewers with more advanced tools appearing in the review interface.
Let's take a look at the Production and Packaging Tools below:
The Color Densitometer Tool (Color Picker) allows you to move around the page obtaining color breakdowns on any object you hover above. You can then add a color breakdown into a note, which is great for giving color correction instructions.
Aproove WM automatically detects all the color channels inside a proof and displays them in a drop-down list. The user can select any channel, and only that color channel will be displayed. Aproove will even detect special spot colors such as Pantone. Separations can also get shown in version comparison mode.
The measurement tool allows you to measure on screen the distance between two points within a proof; this is a precise measurement and will display metric results of the distance, XY position, area, and angle (if applicable).
Drag a box over the barcode or postal code you wish to check. If the barcode is OK, the box will turn GREEN and inform you that the barcode was successfully read, it will also display the barcode type and number; if it is unreadable, the box will turn RED and inform you it was not readable.
Supported barcode formats include:
Barcodes:
CODABAR, EAN13, EAN8, UPCA, UPCE, Interleaved2of5, Standard2of5, MSI, Code11, Codabar, EAN14(SCC14), SSCC18, ITF14, Matrix 2 of 5, PZN, Code128, Code39 Extended, Code39 Standard, Code93 Extended, Code16K, Code93 Standard, IATA 2 of 5, OPC, GS1Code128, ISBN, ISMN, ISSN, ITF6, VIN, Pharmacode, DatabarOmniDirectional, DatabarTruncated, DatabarLimited, DatabarExpanded, DatabarStackedOmniDirectional, DatabarExpandedStacked, DatabarStacked, PatchCode, Supplement (Decode only),
2D barcode types include:
PDF417, MacroPDF417, MicroPDF417, CompactPDF417 (Decode only), DataMatrix, Aztec, QR, MicroQR, DotCode, MaxiCode, Italian Post 25, GS1DataMatrix, Code16K
Postal barcode types include:
Postnet, Planet, USPS OneCode, Australia Post, Deutsche Post Identcode, Deutsche, Post Leticode, RM4SCC, SingaporePost, AustralianPosteParcel, SwissPostParcel, UpcaGs1DatabarCoupon
The new PDF layer support is unique to Aproove. It allows companies of different verticals such as Packaging, Security Print, Catalogue, and Engineering to benefit from seeing all the layers within a PDF.
Optionally allowing your reviewers to see any layers inside a PDF document is a great starting point, but we never stopped there! We also added many surrounding features that enable you to restrict layers to different users and groups and store the viewing conditions (what layers were turned on or off) to know the reviewer's exact viewing conditions when they made the annotation note.
PDF Layer Display;
From the review interface, users (with permissions) can now view any layers that are part of a PDF proof. The layers that were visible when the PDF was created will get shown by default; however, reviewers can select what combination of layers they wish to display, including the layers that were not even active when the file got saved.
This is particularly useful if, for example, you want to display objects that may not get printed, such as a cutter guide, or perhaps you have multiple 5th black layers that are for different languages that overprint the standard four colors.
The power of the layer display feature gets greatly enhanced when you discover that you can even restrict the visibility and usability of different layers to different users and groups.
The Aproove engine shows the layer combinations at lightning-fast speed thanks to the layers being pre-rendered. This feature is no gimmick, it handles transparency, and it can even cater to customers who require the ability to show complex blends across layers.
Layer Viewing Conditions;
See the video above; when clicking on any reviewer notes, the layers adjust to the exact display conditions as the reviewer who posted the annotation. This gives you the same viewing conditions as the reviewer, ensuring you have the same context.
What's more, if you export and download the Annotated PDF from Aproove, the report will detail what layers were visible on each note. This information is stored in the database, giving a full audit trail.
Background Simulation;
Not content as just showing the layers inside a PDF, Aproove Work Management also gives you the ability to choose a transparent or colored background. This could be useful if you wish to see transparency in your objects, or perhaps you want to simulate your PDF objects against a paper color?
Proofs such as mailers and packaging files get created the way they will get folded after print, which means some content might be displayed upside down or on the side when you are reviewing the proof.
Reviewers have access to the rotation tool, which enables them to rotate the proofs making it easier to read and markup during the review process.
Note Tags are introduce a new way of managing annotation workflows. Note Tags cover multiple needs ranging from automated note identification to complex approval and decisions at a note level.
Note tags can automatically be applied when users make annotations, and permissions can be used at a project level to determine what note tags (if any) are available to the different users.
Note Tags can be added when a user creates an annotation note (automatically, manually, or a combination of both). Note Tags can also be made available or hidden at different step stages based on your workflow requirements.
We never stopped there! To enhance this feature even further, you can (optionally) request a user to explain the reason they chose a particular note tag. For example, if a user uses a note tag of "reject note," you may want an explanation of why they rejected the note.
Applying Note Tags can also set the visibility of the annotation notes for other users. For example, notes tagged with "marketing team" could be hidden from the users in the "legal" team.
Note tags can also be sorted and filtered upon, which allows users to concentrate on specific notes tagged with a certain category. Finally, note tagging is available to users who want to generate reports for identifying trends, bottlenecks, or behavioral patterns in the review cycle based on note tags.
Note tags have a wide variety of uses across all business sectors. Below are two use case examples supported by short videos to show the behavior.
Use Case Example 1; (Video Above)
Annotation Notes Classification
Example; You have a weekly circular in a retail environment, and that circular has different categories of products on the page, eg., dairy, meat, grocery, and alcohol.
Business Case
Anyone with permission can now "filter" on the note tags, for example, the line manager of the dairy section could opt only to see the notes created by the "dairy" merchandiser. This means they can ignore all the other annotation notes related to the different departments, which do not concern them.
Having the notes tagged allows for very detailed reporting at a very granular level based on the notes entered by different departments or teams.
Use Case Example 2; (Video Above)
Annotation Notes Review
Business Case
Filter on your Note Tags (Video Below)
Another fantastic feature is the ability to filter on your note tags. This allows users to only see the annotation notes that are tagged with the criteria they require. Furthermore the administrator has the ability to hide notes tagged with certain criteria and only display them to selected users.
