Annotation Services

Mark Scott Consulting will add extreme interconnectivity (and value) to your PDF documents with custom tools, including a cross-referencing plug-in called InfoLinker. This tool uses a custom script (rule) to associate pertinent text references, performing 95-99% of the work that would otherwise need be done manually. This can save days, or even weeks.

Once these rules, which are simply text files, have been established for a given PDF based on the user's requirements, the tool is executed and it automatically and infallibly creates links and bookmarks (also called annotations) in the PDF at hand. It can not only automate links from a Table of Contents to the document body, but also:

from cross-references in the document body to the appropriate destination:

to other PDF document bookmarks,

to Windows applications, or

to anywhere on the internet (or an intranet)!

A plain PDF on the left. Bookmarks and links in the same PDF on the right.

There is nothing particularly profound about this, it is helpful and has been a part of PDF since it's inception, it is simply the amount and accuracy of these references that InfoLinker can automate that is so valuable, particularly in large documents or large document sets, such as the files that might be used in a large user manual or a complex litigation.

Reusability and Portability

You don't need know much about rules, that is our specialty, but they are simple text documents, so should your PDF be revised, it is much easier (and cheaper) to apply the "old" rules to a new document for nearly instant results.

Additionally, if you have a multi-document set with similar document architecture, then the rules become templates, which can be quickly adapted to the remaining PDFs. In other words, the more documents, the less cost per document.

If all of this seems too complex, well... it is and it isn't. Having worked with the software since its inception in 1995, Mark Scott Consulting can create a rule for an "average" document in less than 2 hours, apply it using InfoLinker in less than 2 minutes, performing work that might otherwise have been done manually (and less accurately) in 2 days or more. This time savings translates into dollars and cents, as well as a much faster turnaround. We have a secure web site for file transfer for your documents.

Who needs PDF Annotation?

Lawyers and legal documents

Not the first foray into this field, Mark Scott Consulting is now focusing on providing this unique service to Attourneys, who often need quick access to information in large sets of documents. Legal documents are particularly good candidates for InfoLinker annotation as they possess "predictable" content, such as cited case numbers, statutes, and plaintiff and defendant references. To create these links and bookmarks manually might be prohibitive, but Mark Scott Consulting, with over fifteen years experience at PDF document annotation, can provide much more useful PDF documents in short order with less expense.

Vendors with Large User Manuals

Why deliver an "unintelligent" PDF to your customer or end user? When opening your User Manual, there should be a bookmark navigation frame on the side where users can one-click travel to the volume or section in which they are currently most interested.

Pricing

InfoLinker works ideally for documents containing nested paragraphs (i.e. 3.2.1, D2.a, etc.), unique identifiers or title text, or all of the above. InfoLinker rules can utilize the patterns of these key text tags, such as "www.website.htm", yourname@youremailaddress.com, or Figure or Table references.

The remainder of the work readying the PDF for final deliver is done manually by a PDF expert to your specifications, including custom link properties, page magnification and layout, open options (bookmark frames may be visible or not), fast web view, and even security settings.

All this can be accomplished in a manner of hours, not days or weeks.

We are a small home-based company, so can be very competitve, and would be pleased to provide estimates for PDF document annotation. Your cost is based on several factors:

The number of documents

Page length of documents

Accuracy and consistency of text*

Type of references**

Level of bookmark nesting required

Amount of cross-referencing

*If Table of Content text says "Smith and Wesson", but body title text says "Smith & Wesson", InfoLinker cannot resolve the two as equal. Manual annotation is required, which of course takes more time.

**Because InfoLinker capitalizes on unique text strings, if your document has redundant reference headers within each chapter or section (i.e. A. Title Text, B. Title Text, etc.), then references cannot be automated. See below for clarification.

Please contact Mark Scott Consulting for more information and a quote.