When and How to Proofread After Composition
The development of technology has not spared the publishing industry and the process of creating a book; on the contrary, it has left a distinct mark. The profession of a typesetter has become a thing of the past, editors increasingly work in Word rather than on printouts, and traditional proofreading after typesetting has been replaced by electronic proofreading in PDF files.
However, technological progress has the tendency to take time to fully take hold. It is no wonder that PDF proofreading is also a problem for many proofreaders. This article will focus on how to make changes to a PDF file and when to perform such proofreading.
When Do You Need PDF Proofreading?
All texts intended for printing, such as books, albums, catalogs, leaflets, etc., regardless of the format in which they were created (DOC, ODT, TXT, DWG and other files), finally take the form of a PDF file and are sent to the printing house in this form.
The format created by Adobe guarantees the integrity of the appearance and content, unlike, for example, Word DOC files, which can “fall apart” on different computers and when using different versions of Word. By preparing a PDF file, we are sure that it will be displayed identically on each computer.
Before sending the PDF file to the printer, it is worth performing a final linguistic proofreading to eliminate any remaining linguistic and typesetting errors. How then to make corrections in a PDF file that is not editable by the proofreader?
How to Proofread A PDF File?
There are at least a few ways to mark corrections in PDF files. Here are some of them:
1. Print Correction
The text from the PDF file can be printed, corrections can be made on paper, and then the entire text can be scanned. This method is quite time-consuming and will only work for texts of several pages. It is definitely ineffective for longer materials. The time spent on scanning subsequent pages and later sending dozens of files will certainly not be evidence of the professionalism of the proofreader.
2. Correcting Comments and Applying Changes with the Mouse
There are several programs available for viewing PDF files and “editing” them (i.e. making changes to the file without interfering with the source text). We use a very convenient, free program called SwifDoo PDF. The two most useful functions from a proofreader’s perspective are the ability to add comments (similar to those in Word) and “drawing” on the file, which allows for making correction marks.
Proofreading in PDF can be limited to placing comments containing appropriate corrections, but in the case of a large number of changes, this method of working with the text becomes quite burdensome. Numerous comments can also obscure most of the text, which will not make it easier for the DTP operator, who will have to make changes to the source file after proofreading.
Of course, you can use the mouse and make correction marks in the margin, but this requires great skill, precision and iron patience. Anyone who has ever tried to draw with a mouse in Windows Paint knows what the effects are.
3. Proofreading using A Graphics Tablet
Corrections are made in a PDF editing program (e.g. in the aforementioned SwifDoo PDF), but to draw correction marks, you use not a mouse, but a much more handy graphic tablet.
What is a tablet? It is a very useful tool, used primarily for drawing on a computer. Although the manufacturers probably intended tablets to be used mainly by graphic designers, they are currently also an indispensable tool for proofreaders.
The tablet consists of two elements: a special pad and a pen-shaped stylus. Using the stylus is not much different from writing with a regular pen on a piece of paper. Getting used to this form of moving the cursor on the monitor screen takes time, but sooner or later the effect is rounded proofreading marks instead of illegible hieroglyphs obtained when drawing with a mouse. Some people achieve incredible skill, which allows them to use the tablet instead of a mouse in everyday work at the computer.
Summary
Everything indicates that electronic proofreading in PDFs will replace traditional proofreading on paper, just as it has already done with text editing. The advantage of electronic proofreading over traditional proofreading is clear:
- A computer file can be sent faster than a sometimes large stack of printed sheets of paper;
- Standardizing the spelling of words using a computer search engine greatly improves work efficiency;
- Finally – proofreading in a file saves ink and paper.
Of course, from the perspective of a proofreader, working on a PDF file is no longer so rosy: on the one hand, you have to invest in a tablet, and on the other hand, proofreading on a monitor screen may, unfortunately, end with a visit to the ophthalmologist in the long run. However, market requirements are inexorable and we must reckon with the fact that proofreading in PDFs will become the standard.