Bluebeam - Pen Tool

The Pen tool is used for free form text, shapes or other unique markups.

Creating a Pen Markup

Select the Pen tool using one of the following methods:
1. Go to Tools > Markup > Pen.
2. Click on the Text toolbar.
3. Press P on the keyboard.
Click and drag to place a free form line (simulating a pen or pencil) on the PDF. Release to end the line.

Tips for using the Pen tool:

Hold down SHIFT to draw straight horizontal or vertical lines.
Generally speaking, any number of pen lines created at the same time are considered to be the same markup and will appear as one entry in the Markups List. Revu creates the markup after a delay of about a second. To prompt it to create the markup without waiting, press ENTER after drawing a line.

Note: The Pen tool and Touchscreen functionality can be used simultaneously.

Removing a Pen Markup

To remove markups from a PDF, select the markup or markups on the PDF or from the Markups list and do one of the following:

Press DELETE on the keyboard.
Right-click and select Delete.

Attaching a Note to a Pen Markup

You can attach a note to nearly any markup that does not have a text box of its own. Simply double-click the markup to open the Note pop-up window. Notes attached to markups are functionally similar to the Note Tool.

Adding an Action to a Pen Markup

You can add an action to nearly any markup. Simply right-click the markup and select Edit Action to open the Action dialog box.

Icon Indicators in Markups

Markups might present with one or more of several indicator icons alerting users of certain conditions or attachments. These icon indicators appear below the markup to the right (or, in the case of grouped markups, below and to the right of the group) and include:

Action: Indicates that an action has been defined for this markup. Clicking this icon triggers the action.

Capture: Indicates that the markup has an embedded media, typically an image or video. Clicking this icon opens a preview window showing the embedded media (or first piece of media, if multiple are embedded) and provides easy access to several useful tools.

Reply: Indicates the existence of one or more replies to the markup in the Markups list. Hovering over the icon previews the replies and clicking it opens the Markups list (if it's not already open) and jumps directly to the markup's entry there. Users can turn off the ability to see reply indicators in the View menu.

Resizing or Adjusting a Pen Markup

Select a markup to reveal its control handles. Each handle controls a different aspect of the markup's size and orientation.

To rotate the markup, click and drag the orange handle outside the markup (when the markup is first placed, it will be at the top). By default, the markup is rotated in increments of 15°; to rotate in increments of 1°, hold down SHIFT while dragging.

The rotation can also be entered in the Rotation field found in the Layout section of the Properties panel.

To resize the markup, click and drag the appropriate yellow handle.

Changing a Pen Markup's Appearance

The appearance of the pen line is configurable, including its color, thickness, and opacity. Pen lines can also act as highlights, becoming fully transparent so as to let underlying content show through.

To change the appearance of a Pen markup, select it and click the Properties panel. Go to Window > Panels > Properties or press ALT+P to show the Properties panel if it is hidden. Several properties will also be available on the Properties toolbar when the markup is selected.

Appearance Properties

Color: Sets the color of the pen line.

Opacity: Sets the opacity level of the pen line as a percent, where 100% is completely opaque and 0% is completely transparent.

Line Width: Sets the thickness (in points) of the pen line.

Highlight: When enabled, makes the pen line appear completely transparent such that the underlying PDF content shows through without affecting its opacity.