Reader's Bench

User's Guide

Introduction

Reader's Bench is a PDF reader and markup app with note-taking features optimized for serious reading.

Read, Annotate, Take notes, and Review for a study and research!

Reader’s Bench has versatile features with lightning-speed performance and handles a big PDF file efficiently. No more distractions from reading and study.

* Read


 - PDF reader

 - Vertical/Horizontal, Single/Continuous pages

 - Lookup word definition

 - Translate sentence

 - Apple Intelligence Writing Tool

 - Instant search

 - Bookmarks


* Take a note


 - Add annotated texts & clipped image box to note

 - Handwriting & Drawing

 - Expandable canvas

 - Supporting background patterns and colors

 - Export notes to share as pdf or print

* Annotate


 - Highlight, Underline, Strikethrough with various colours

 - Take a box image capture for anywhere of the pdf pages

 - Handwriting

 - Insert typed text box and image box

 - Link all these annotations to note and annotation extraction review

 - Export annotated pdf to share or print


* Review


 - Automatic extraction of highlighted annotations

 - Instant search

 - Export review excerpts  to share as pdf or print

 - Drag and drop annotations from review to Note

Getting Started

Creating new document

To create a new document, touch the '+' button on the top menubar or the 'Create Document' icon in the app folder.

Importing PDF file

When a new document is created, there will be no imported pdf file or created note. To import a pdf file, touch the import button on the top menubar, and the import popover sheet will be displayed. 

You can choose a pdf file you want to import from any location.

Creating a note

You can create a note by using the new note button on the top menubar. 


When the note is created, it is opened in view mode. You can touch the handwriting button on the top menubar to write or draw on the note.

Writing or drawing with fingers

After enabling handwriting mode, you can use various drawing tools on the bottom. You can use an Apple pencil, or you can use a finger to draw or write by changing the configuration in the pencil kit settings.

Disabling dark mode color

Reader's Bench matches the system dark mode settings and inverts the colors to reduce the strength of bright colors. If the inverted color doesn't read well in PDF document view with annotation colors, you can disable the dark mode color by changing the settings in the more menu.

PDF Reader & Markup

Sending annotation from PDF document view to Note (using edit menu)

Sending annotation from PDF document view to Note (using drag & drop)

Changing captured image (square annotation) highlight color

*  You can choose color picker menu to select any color not listed in the edit menu.

Resizing captured image (square annotation)

* If you tap out side of the square box, it will cancel the modification and will go back to original size and color.

Annotation Extraction & Review

Locating annotation in PDF document and Note

Sending annotation from Annotation Extraction view to Note (Drag & drop)

Dragging annotation from extraction view to PDF view

Dragging an annotation from the extraction view and dropping it to the PDF document view will change the PDF page on the view to the page and place where that specific annotation exists.

Note Taking

Selecting annotation in Note

Deleting annotation from Note

Adding image or text to Note from another app

You can drag and drop an image or text from another app by selecting the image or text and dragging it to Reader's Bench's Note. Reader's Bench will create a new image or text annotation in the PDF document by adding an image to the note. So, the PDF document should be opened to add an image to the note.

Tips & Tricks

Entering full screen mode (hiding top toolbar)

You can enable pdf document view in the full screen mode by touching(tapping) in the middle of the pdf view. It will hide the top toolbar and gives you more readable space. You can get the tool bar back by touching the middle of the pdf view again.

Focusing note to a specific position

When you double-tap anywhere on the note view canvas, the point tapped will be centred and zoomed to 100%.

Clipping pdf view to a fixed zoom and position

If you zoom and position the page in a single page view mode, it will be clipped with the configured zoom level and position, and you can use a swipe gesture to change pages with the same cut view.

Exporting PDF document without markup annotations

Reducing the image size before importing it to Reader's Bench

Reader's Bench will keep the original resolution of the image inserted into it. If many high-resolution photos are inserted, the size of the document will be increased to the number of the images. Please try to reduce the quality or size of the image before inserting if you are adding many images.