Adding comments to a pdf in Preview

When you apply your comment annotation to the PDF, and you do not want that annotation changed later, you can use Print > PDF > Send in Mail to attach the PDF to an outgoing Mail compose window. This process also flattens the PDF so that your annotation(s) remain unchangeable when the PDF is opened by the recipient.

Tested: Preview and Mail with macOS Ventura 13.0.1.

Paul Richards4 wrote:

I often add comments to a pdf file using Preview (using Apple Shift A), which i then send to others by email.

But the comment is still "floating". and the recipient could delete it. Sometimes they seem to not even be able to see it - my comments have been known to disappear in transit..

Is there a way to embed them as if they are part of the original file?

I know I could screen shot them and then turn the PNG into a PDF, but that seems a fairly primitive solution. Is there no facility within Preview?

thanks

Paul

If Saving & closing the document before you attach and send...does not work

you can file a bug report /submit your Apple Feedback here: Product Feedback - Apple

I would try a true PDF editor, there are many, here are a few examples:

Adobe Acrobat DC

https://get.adobe.com/reader/

PDFpen

https://pdfpen.com/pdfpen/

pdfExpert

https://pdfexpert.com/

Master PDF Editor

https://code-industry.net/masterpdfeditor/?-about&ver=5832

There is no means in Preview to annotate several open PDF and then flatten all of them in one Print > PDF > Save as, or Send in Mail request. You are not getting off that easy… 😎

You can use Print… PDF > Save as PDF into a Desktop Flattened folder, and then select that folder in an AppleScript to attach each flattened PDF to a new Mail compose window. Just tested this with n-tuple PDF attachments in AppleScript and it works.