4 ms·

Firefox can add text/drawings to PDFs

61 points by jolfosh 3y ago

jolfosh 3y ago
Finally!
martinky24 3y ago
Neat! Increased browser PDF support, and further minimizing my need to ever need to use predatory Adobe products for niche use cases, is always very welcomed.
- nlunbeck 3y ago
  Exactly! You would think a free tool for such a simple purpose would be easier to find online. Glad to see Firefox raising the bar
  - Alifatisk 3y ago
    Have you checked https://tinywow.com/tools/pdf https://tinywow.com/tools/pdf ? They seem to cover almost everything you'd like to do. There is also https://simplepdf.eu https://simplepdf.eu
extraduder_ire 3y ago
PDF.js is great. I used to even use a chrome extension to use it in chrome back when I needed to use it. I think that extension hasn't been kept up to date though. I'm no longer concerned about exploits from sketchy PDFs.
- SigmundA 3y ago
  Just wish it had high quality vector based printing, sad they dropped thier SVG backend.
lxgr 3y ago
That's great! Does it add the text as comments, or as "actual PDF content"? Comments are fine in most cases (and always when printing the document for archaic ceremonies involving ink and paper signatures), but I've had a few cases where I'd wished there was an easy way to add "actual text" in Apple's Preview.app.
- kn0where 3y ago
  In Preview.app, I wonder if doing a Print to PDF step would normalize those comments into “actual text”
  - lxgr 3y ago
    That's what I do too, but sometimes I forget it, and then I suffer the consequences e.g. when using e-signing (which sometimes covers comments/annotations, but not always, but in any case creates a very high possibility of random PDF viewers breaking the signature in my experience).
thesnide 3y ago
The only thing i miss from macOS is preview's ability to copy/cut/paste PDF pages. It is way too convoluted anywhere else.
- Alifatisk 3y ago
  macOS preview is a beast, haven't seen anything come close to it yet.
bzmrgonz 3y ago
I recently discovered it and I love it, one place for you to fill forms and soft-sign them in one clean swoop. Works with interactive forms as well as flat ones(uses typewriter mode). Additionally, it allows you to free-hand scratch the document, to indicate to colleagues/subordinates what you wished removed. This should be handy for doctors and other technical people on the go.. a sort of digital pad right in the ubiquitous browser. Keep them features coming mozilla, I'm also loving their containerized tab add-on
antman 3y ago
I hope it has js api to also do it programmatically
- rad_gruchalski 3y ago
  If it’s pdf.js, it is all an API. Poorly documented one but an API.
Alifatisk 3y ago
This isn't new? I've been able to add text and draw on PDFs with FF for a long time.
hulitu 3y ago
> Firefox can add text/drawings to PDFs But it cannot print a web page. And the pdf viewer is a usability disaster.

61 points by jolfosh 3y ago

Finally!

Neat! Increased browser PDF support, and further minimizing my need to ever need to use predatory Adobe products for niche use cases, is always very welcomed.

nlunbeck 3y ago
Exactly! You would think a free tool for such a simple purpose would be easier to find online. Glad to see Firefox raising the bar
- Alifatisk 3y ago
  Have you checked https://tinywow.com/tools/pdf https://tinywow.com/tools/pdf ? They seem to cover almost everything you'd like to do. There is also https://simplepdf.eu https://simplepdf.eu

extraduder_ire 3y ago

PDF.js is great. I used to even use a chrome extension to use it in chrome back when I needed to use it. I think that extension hasn't been kept up to date though. I'm no longer concerned about exploits from sketchy PDFs.

SigmundA 3y ago
Just wish it had high quality vector based printing, sad they dropped thier SVG backend.

lxgr 3y ago

That's great! Does it add the text as comments, or as "actual PDF content"? Comments are fine in most cases (and always when printing the document for archaic ceremonies involving ink and paper signatures), but I've had a few cases where I'd wished there was an easy way to add "actual text" in Apple's Preview.app.

kn0where 3y ago
In Preview.app, I wonder if doing a Print to PDF step would normalize those comments into “actual text”
- lxgr 3y ago
  That's what I do too, but sometimes I forget it, and then I suffer the consequences e.g. when using e-signing (which sometimes covers comments/annotations, but not always, but in any case creates a very high possibility of random PDF viewers breaking the signature in my experience).

thesnide 3y ago

The only thing i miss from macOS is preview's ability to copy/cut/paste PDF pages. It is way too convoluted anywhere else.

Alifatisk 3y ago
macOS preview is a beast, haven't seen anything come close to it yet.

bzmrgonz 3y ago

I recently discovered it and I love it, one place for you to fill forms and soft-sign them in one clean swoop. Works with interactive forms as well as flat ones(uses typewriter mode). Additionally, it allows you to free-hand scratch the document, to indicate to colleagues/subordinates what you wished removed. This should be handy for doctors and other technical people on the go.. a sort of digital pad right in the ubiquitous browser. Keep them features coming mozilla, I'm also loving their containerized tab add-on

antman 3y ago

I hope it has js api to also do it programmatically

rad_gruchalski 3y ago
If it’s pdf.js, it is all an API. Poorly documented one but an API.

Alifatisk 3y ago

This isn't new? I've been able to add text and draw on PDFs with FF for a long time.

hulitu 3y ago

> Firefox can add text/drawings to PDFs But it cannot print a web page. And the pdf viewer is a usability disaster.