Looking to turn my older Surface into a textbook reader

[305869]

I would like to be able to open textbooks and other larger format books and to be able to draw and write on the documents with the pen and have those annotations save and load next time I open the same document. Is this possible? Does anyone have good recommendations for software?

[jhagri]

Adobe Acrobat Reader is a popular PDF reader that supports annotation features. You can open textbooks and other large-format books in PDF format, use the pen to write and draw on the pages, and save your annotations. Acrobat Reader also supports syncing across devices.

[305869]

I don't know why, but I couldn't get drawing annotations to work on the free version of Acrobat Reader. It works on Acrobat Pro, but that has other issues such as poor touch interface. It didn't seem to be able to distinguish pen from finger touch, so I couldn't switch between writing and panning/zooming seamlessly.

In the end the best app I found was Drawboard PDF. It's super intuitive. I'm just disappointed it's under a subscription-based business model because I would gladly pay a one-time fee for an upgraded version of the software. But the free version isn't bad. I was able to save the annotated version and transfer it to my e-ink devices without restrictions.

[therealTOEBEANS]

Originally Posted by 305869

I would like to be able to open textbooks and other larger format books and to be able to draw and write on the documents with the pen and have those annotations save and load next time I open the same document. Is this possible? Does anyone have good recommendations for software?

Oh boy! I know what you need to do!

Microsoft OneNote can do that! It's even better, though: you can open all your notes on your phone to read anywhere, and whenever you draw on your phone or tablet or any other device, it updates within a second everywhere.

I've used OneNote on my Surface Pro, desktop PC, Phone, and web for many, many years. You can import any size PDF directly into OneNote and annotate away. Plus, it gives you massive margins which expand forever.

Fun fact: for my own personal reading, I often import large-form novels into OneNote to do active reading. It can load the whole thing up instantly... on my tablet, phone, web, whatever. It's maddening how robust it is.

You can invest in the payed version, but there is a FREE VERSION TOO! With all the features.

Cheers, mate.

[Quoth]

MyWrite's Nebo is far better than OneNote. Windows Surface 3 or later, Android and iPad models with pen & digitiser.
Imports PDFs and notebooks from Kobo.