Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet Using PDF readers

Transcription

1 Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet Using PDF readers Introduction These notes explain how to use various PDF reader applications on the Lenovo ThinkPad tablet. If you have any technical queries, please contact the Waikato Management School Helpdesk at the University of Waikato: phone: wmshelp@waikato.ac.nz Contents Introduction... 1 Working with PDF files... 2 Downloading a PDF file... 2 Opening a PDF file... 2 Adobe Reader... 3 Overview... 3 Downloading the app... 3 Basic navigation... 3 Annotating... 4 RepliGo Reader... 6 Overview... 6 Downloading the app... 6 Basic navigation... 6 Annotating... 7 Top row icons... 8 Text-to-speech... 9 Other tips... 9 Mantano Reader Overview Summary WMS IT Team June 2012

2 Working with PDF files Many of the documents for your course readings will be PDF (Portable Document Format) files. You can read and annotate (i.e. highlight text, add notes, drawings and bookmarks) your PDF files on the tablet. Not all PDF documents are created in the same way. Some are scanned in as large images; others have various sorts of protection on them. Some files have Optical Character Recognition (OCR) so you can search the text and highlight it. Scanned PDFs (that have not been OCRed) only have the bookmark, drawing and notes annotation tools available. These PDFs are basically image files the text cannot be highlighted, searched or reflowed within an app. Downloading a PDF file Download a PDF file for testing and experiment with the various PDF readers. 1. Go to This is one of the files I use for testing PDF readers. 2. Select the Click here to download the Companion in PDF link. 3. A Starting Download message shows and a small downward-pointing arrow appears at the bottom-right of the tablet screen. 4. Remember, all the files you have downloaded end up in the Downloads folder. If you have not done so, it is a good idea to make a shortcut to the Downloads folder on your home screen. Opening a PDF file Once you have downloaded a PDF file, select it. You will be asked to complete the action using one of the installed apps. Choose an app the file will open. Page 2 Using PDF Readers

3 Adobe Reader Overview The Abobe Reader had had a major update since our Orientation session earlier this year. It is still free, and now has annotation and commenting features. The tools available include highlight, strikethough, underline, freehand drawing and comments. Downloading the app To download the Adobe Reader: 1. Go to Google Play Store and search for the Adobe Reader. 1. Select the app, and then choose Install. 2. Choose Accept & download 3. The app will start to download and install on your tablet. 4. Go back to the home screen. You should see an icon representing the app. You can move this icon to an appropriate place. If you don t see the Adobe Reader icon, go to the application icon near top-right of your main home screen. Long-press the Adobe Reader icon and drag it to one of your home screens. Basic navigation When you open the Adobe Reader app for the first time, a short tutorial document appears. The main navigation tips are listed below. To turn the page swipe up or down (when in Continuous mode). If you are in Single page mode, swipe left or right to change pages. Or simply tap the right or left edge of the document. You can use two fingertips to pinch and unpinch (or spread) to zoom in and out of the document. Tap once in the middle of the screen (avoiding any links or annotations) to show the toolbars. Lenovo ThinkPad tablet Page 3

4 If a PDF document has five or more pages, a navigation slider appears at the bottom of the screen when you tap the middle of the screen Double-tap the in the middle of the screen to zoom in or out. Select a hyperlink in the document by tapping on it. Internal hyperlinks will go to another part of the document; external links take you to the relevant web site. The image below shows the tools in the main toolbar. Annotating To get to the annotation tools, tap in the middle of the screen, avoiding any links etc. Select the annotation tools icon from the main toolbar, as shown above. The toolbar at the top of the screen changes to the annotation toolbar as shown in the image below. Two of the most common ways of annotating a file are to highlight text or to draw or scribble freehand over the document. Adding detailed notes or comments is also useful. Highlighting text To highlight text: 1. Make sure the annotation toolbar is visible. 2. Choose the highlighter tool. 3. Drag over the text you want to highlight. Page 4 Using PDF Readers

5 4. Repeat the last two steps above for each highlight. You can turn the pages (or scroll through the document) when in this mode. Freehand drawing If you are the sort of annotator who likes to write freehand notes and scribble all over your document, use the freehand drawing tool. 1. Make sure annotation toolbar is visible. 2. Choose the freehand drawing tool. 3. Add your annotations. 4. Press Save or Cancel 5. Turn the page, and then repeat the last three steps above. Adding notes or comments To add a note or comment: 1. Make sure annotation toolbar is visible. 2. Choose the note tool. 3. Tap on the screen where you want to add the note. 4. Type in the note text. 5. Press Save or Cancel 6. A small icon appears on the screen. Select that item to read the note. Other tips Tapping on highlighted text allows you to change the colour and opacity of the highlight or to remove the highlight. Similarly, selecting a freehand annotation allows you to make changes. Your annotations are saved with the file. When you open the annotated file in the Adobe Acrobat Reader on your PC or laptop you should see your annotations. Lenovo ThinkPad tablet Page 5

6 RepliGo Reader Overview As mentioned in the original notes, we recommend the RepliGo Reader to view and annotate your PDF files. The application had a major update on 11 May 2012, and now costs just NZ$2.52. The annotation tools available in this app include highlights, underlines, cross outs, sticky notes, arrows, lines, ovals, rectangles, freehand drawing and text boxes. Downloading the app To download the RepliGo Reader: 1. Go to Google Play Store and search for the RepliGo Reader. 2. Select the price, and then choose Accept and Buy. 3. The app will start to download and install on your tablet. 4. Go back to the home screen. You should see an icon representing the app. You can move this icon to an appropriate place. If you don t see the RepliGo icon, go to the application icon near top-right of your main home screen. Long-press the RepliGo Reader icon and drag it to one of your home screens. Basic navigation To turn the page swipe to the left or right. To zoom in or out of a piece of text or an image, double-tap the paragraph or an image. You can use two fingertips to pinch and unpinch (or spread) to zoom in and out of the document. Navigate to a particular page by using the thumbnails at the bottom of the screen. To get all the initial screen options back, press or tap somewhere on the screen. Select a hyperlink in the document by pressing on it. Internal hyperlinks will go to another part of the document; external links take you to the relevant web site. Page 6 Using PDF Readers

7 Annotating The image shows the tools in the toolbox. Two of the most common ways of annotating a file are to highlight text or to draw or scribble freehand over the document. We will look at both of these options in a little more detail. Lenovo ThinkPad tablet Page 7

8 Highlighting text To highlight text: 1. Make sure the annotation toolbox is visible. (Press or tap the screen if you need to.) 2. Choose the text highlighter tool. 3. Drag over the text you want to highlight. 4. Select the tick near the top of the screen or tap somewhere on the screen. 5. Repeat the steps above for each highlight. You can turn the pages when in this mode. Freehand drawing If you are the sort of annotator who writes freehand notes and scribbles all over your document, use the freehand drawing tool. 1. Make sure the initial screen with the annotation toolbox is visible. (Press or tap the screen if you need to.) 2. Choose the freehand drawing tool. 3. Add your annotations. 4. To turn the page, select the tick icon near the top-left of the screen, then swipe. Top row icons The top of the main screen shows the following icons, with the addition of a menu option on the right hand side. The red icon on the left (illustrated above) lets you exit out of the application you will be prompted to save your changes. Selecting the eye icon allows you to reflow the text, choose a day or night theme (the night theme has a reverse-video effect) and control the brightness. The reflow and theme options will not be available in PDFs that are simply scanned images. Page 8 Using PDF Readers

9 Pressing the bookmark icon shows the bookmarks (if any) in the PDF file. The next icon lists the comments i.e. any notes and highlights you have made in the document. Selecting a comment will take you to that part of the PDF file. The magnifying glass brings up the Search function again, only if the PDF file allows searching. The menu icon contains File, Zoom, Go to page, Read aloud, Rotate, and Settings items. Text-to-speech Some PDF files (including our test file) allow you to have the text read aloud. To use the text-to-speech (TTS) function: 1. Make sure the initial screen with the annotation toolbox is visible. (Press or tap the screen if you need to.) 2. Select the menu icon in the top-right of the screen, and choose Read aloud. 3. If you have more than one TTS program installed, you will be asked to choose an option. 4. The text is read out loud. The current sentence is highlighted on the tablet. Press the back icon on the tablet to stop the voice. If you want to use the text-to-speech option consider purchasing a less-robotic voice from Google Play. Search for SVOX and look at the options available. Other tips Pressing the drawing pin tool on the toolbox pins the toolbox to your document page for easier access. Press the Cross to unpin the toolbox. Saving the file will save your annotations. When you open the annotated file in the Adobe Acrobat Reader on your PC or laptop you should see your annotations. Go through the various settings and experiment with the options you can t break anything. Lenovo ThinkPad tablet Page 9

10 Mantano Reader Overview The Mantano Reader is a good reader for epub and PDF files. If you simply want to read and annotate PDF files by highlighting text (rather than drawing or writing notes) then you may like the Mantano Reader (free version with ads, otherwise $11.62). You can turn pages while in the highlight text mode a definite bonus! A nice touch is the ability to swipe up/down on the left border to increase/decrease the screen brightness. Mantano has a range of advanced features including night mode and text-to- speech. More details at: roid&hl=en The app is worth paying for if you want to read epub files on your tablet. For example, see the offerings at: Summary The Adobe Reader is a good, basic, (and free!) PDF reader, but lacks advanced features such as night-mode and text-to-speech. The RepliGo Reader is highly recommended; it has all the advanced features you need, and opens large files quickly. Try the free version of the Mantano Reader and purchase the Pro version if you like its interface and the features. If you have any questions, please contact the WMS Helpdesk: phone: wmshelp@waikato.ac.nz Page 10 Using PDF Readers