> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.canvascope.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Mark up a document

> Write, highlight, erase, select, draw shapes, add images and signatures, and manage pages in any PDF or notebook.

When you open a document, Lectra shows the page with a toolbar of writing tools. You can write and draw with Apple Pencil or your finger, highlight text, erase, move your writing around, add shapes, images, sticky notes, and signatures, and add or rearrange pages. Lectra saves your work as you go.

## The editor at a glance

* **Top bar**: **Back** to the library, the pages panel, the document title, **Undo** and **Redo**, search, the **Read** switch, **Share**, and **More actions** (the ellipsis button).
* **Toolbar**: your writing tools, colors, and sizes. It also holds buttons for [Apple Intelligence](/lectra/apple-intelligence), [recording a lecture](/lectra/record-lectures), and **Insert** (**+**).

Tap the document title for **Rename**, **Copy Name**, sharing and printing, **History**, and **Paper**.

## Choose a tool

Tap a tool in the toolbar to use it. Tap the tool again to open its options, such as style, size, and color.

The toolbar starts with these tools:

| Tool | Use it to |
| - | - |
| **Pen** | Write and draw. |
| **Highlighter** | Mark text with see-through color. |
| **Eraser** | Remove ink. |
| **Text** | Type text on the page. To learn more, see [Add typed text](/lectra/text). |
| **Lasso** | Select ink to move, resize, copy, or delete it. |

You can also add these tools:

| Tool | Use it to |
| - | - |
| **Shapes** | Draw clean lines, boxes, circles, triangles, and diamonds. |
| **Note** | Drop a sticky note on the page. |
| **Laser** | Point at the page while you present. Laser marks fade and aren't saved. |

### Customize the toolbar

<Steps>
  <Step title="Start editing the toolbar">
    Touch and hold the toolbar until the tools wiggle.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Remove or add tools">
    To remove a tool, tap the **−** badge on it. To add one, tap it in the **MORE TOOLS** tray. The toolbar keeps at least three tools.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Finish">
    Tap **Done**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Move or hide the toolbar

* **Move it**: drag the toolbar's handle (**Move toolbar**) to another edge, or tap the handle and choose **Left Side**, **Right Side**, **Top**, or **Bottom**. The handle is available when the editor is wide enough.
* **Hide it**: tap the chevron (**Hide tools**). The toolbar shrinks to a small circle in a corner. Tap the circle (**Show tools**) to bring it back.
* **Get it out of the way while you write**: by default, the toolbar folds into the corner circle as soon as you start a mark. To keep it on screen, go to **Settings** > **App** and turn off **Move the toolbar aside while you write**.
* **Open the tool wheel**: touch and hold the page with two fingers. A ring of your tools opens around your fingers. Tap a tool, or tap outside the ring to close it.

## Choose colors and sizes

When the pen, highlighter, or shapes tool is selected, the toolbar shows color swatches and five size dots. Each tool remembers its own color, size, and opacity.

### Colors

The toolbar offers **Yellow**, **Black**, **White**, **Red**, **Blue**, and **Green**, then any colors you saved, then **Custom color**.

To pick any color:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the color picker">
    Tap **Custom color** (the color wheel). You can also tap **Custom ink** in a tool's options.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a color">
    Use **Wheel** and the **VALUE** slider, or **Spectrum** and the **Hue** slider. To enter an exact color, type a hex code such as `#1E6FD9`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save it (optional)">
    Tap **+** (**Save this color**) under **SAVED**. You can keep up to 8 saved colors.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Sizes

Tap one of the five dots to set a size. For an exact size, open the tool's options and use the slider.

| Tool | Size dots | Slider range | Default |
| - | - | - | - |
| Pen | 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.5, 5.0 | 0.2 to 6.0 | 2.0 |
| Highlighter | 4, 8, 14, 22, 32 | 1 to 40 | 14 |
| Eraser | 1.5, 3, 6, 9, 12 | 0.8 to 12 | 6 |
| Shapes | 0.5, 1.5, 3, 4.5, 6 | 0.5 to 6 | 3 |

## Write with the pen

The pen is pressure-responsive: pressing harder with Apple Pencil makes a stroke slightly thicker. In the pen's options, choose a style:

* **Fountain**
* **Ballpoint** (the default)
* **Dashed**
* **Dotted**

Your ink is stored as sharp lines, so it stays crisp at any zoom.

## Highlight

Use the highlighter to mark text with see-through color. In its options, set **Opacity** from 15% to 75%. The default is 35%.

To highlight PDF text exactly along its lines, see [Highlight selected text](#select-and-highlight-pdf-text).

## Draw straight lines with the ruler

In the pen or highlighter options, turn on **Ruler**. While the ruler is on, every stroke becomes a straight line that snaps to 15° angles. Turn it off to write freely again. With a keyboard, press <kbd>⇧</kbd> <kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>U</kbd>.

## Erase

In the eraser's options, choose how it erases:

| Mode | What it does |
| - | - |
| **Precision** | Erases exactly what the tip touches. |
| **Standard** | Erases in a soft circle around the tip. |
| **Stroke** | Erases a whole stroke when you touch it once. This is the default. |

Set the size with **Eraser size**. The eraser removes ink only. To remove a text box, image, or sticky note, see [Edit text boxes](/lectra/text#move-resize-or-delete-a-text-box) and [Add images](#add-images).

## Draw shapes

You can turn a rough drawing into a clean shape in two ways.

* **With the pen or highlighter**: draw the shape, then hold the tip still for a moment without lifting it. The shape snaps clean. Keep dragging to resize it before you lift.
* **With the Shapes tool**: draw the shape and lift. It snaps clean when you lift. To draw freehand with this tool instead, turn off **Snap to shape** in its options.

Lectra recognizes lines, arcs, arrows, circles, ellipses, triangles, rectangles, squares, diamonds, pentagons, and hexagons.

## Select, move, and copy ink

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose the lasso">
    In the toolbar, tap **Lasso**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Circle your ink">
    Draw a loop around the strokes you want. They're selected when you lift.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Change the selection">
    * To move it, drag inside the selection.
    * To resize it, drag a corner handle. The proportions stay the same.
    * To rotate it, drag the rotate handle. It snaps to 15° steps.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Use the selection bar">
    Tap **Copy**, **Cut**, **Duplicate**, or **Delete**. Tap **Done** when you're finished.
  </Step>
</Steps>

The lasso selects handwriting, highlighting, and shapes. It doesn't select text boxes or images.

To paste, open the lasso options and tap **Paste Drawing**, touch and hold an empty part of the page and tap **Paste Drawing**, or press <kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>V</kbd>. Ink you copy also pastes into other apps as a picture.

## Use the touch-and-hold menu

Touch and hold the page with your finger to open a menu for what's under it. The items depend on what you touch:

| You touch | Menu items |
| - | - |
| A selection | **Copy**, **Cut**, **Duplicate**, **Delete**, **Deselect** |
| A stroke | **Copy**, **Cut**, **Duplicate**, **Select More**, **Delete**. If the recordings drawer is open, also **Play From Here**. |
| An image | **Copy**, **Cut**, **Duplicate**, **Crop**, **Replace**, **Delete** |
| A text box | **Copy**, **Cut**, **Duplicate**, **Edit**, **Delete** |
| A word in the PDF | **Select Text**, **Select All Text** |
| An empty part of the page | **Paste Drawing**, **Paste Image**, or **Paste Text** (whichever matches what you copied), **Paste as Note** (when you copied text), **Insert Image**, **Take Photo**, **Select All Ink** (when the page has ink), **Select All Text** (when the page has text) |

<Note>
  The menu opens only when your finger isn't drawing. If your finger draws on the page, either use Apple Pencil once so Lectra knows you have one, set **Draw with Finger** to **Never**, or switch to **Read** first. To learn more, see [Use Apple Pencil](/lectra/apple-pencil#draw-with-your-finger).
</Note>

## Select and highlight PDF text

<Steps>
  <Step title="Start a text selection">
    Touch and hold a word in the PDF with your finger, then tap **Select Text**. To select every word on the page, tap **Select All Text**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Adjust the selection">
    Drag the handles at each end.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose an action">
    Tap **Copy**, **Highlight**, **Look Up**, **Find in Document**, or **Deselect**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

**Highlight** draws highlighter ink along each selected line. It uses the highlighter's current color if the highlighter is selected, and yellow otherwise.

Text selection works on PDFs that contain text. A scanned page or a photo has no text to select.

## Add sticky notes

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose the Note tool">
    In the toolbar, tap **Note**. If you don't see it, [add it to the toolbar](#customize-the-toolbar).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a paper color (optional)">
    Tap **Note** again and pick one of the five paper colors.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Drop the note">
    Tap the page where you want the note, then type.
  </Step>
</Steps>

To move a note, tap it, then drag its handle. Notes use the same formatting options as text boxes. If you copied text, you can also touch and hold the page and tap **Paste as Note**.

## Point with the laser

Add **Laser** to the toolbar, then choose **Dot** or **Line** in its options. Point at the page while you present. The line fades after a moment. Nothing you do with the laser is saved.

## Add images

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Insert">
    In the toolbar, tap **+**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose an image">
    Under **IMAGES**, tap **Choose a photo** or **Take a photo**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Place it">
    Drag, pinch, and rotate the image into place, then tap **Add image**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

You can also touch and hold an empty part of the page and tap **Insert Image** or **Take Photo**.

To change an image later, tap it:

* Drag it to move it.
* Drag a corner to resize it. The proportions stay the same.
* Drag the rotate handle to turn it.
* Use the buttons under it to crop, duplicate, or delete it.

To swap an image for another one, touch and hold it and tap **Replace**.

### Add a quick symbol

Under **ELEMENTS** in **Insert**, tap **Star**, **Arrow**, **Check**, **Flag**, or **Question mark**. The symbol is drawn in your current ink color in the middle of the page, already selected so you can move it.

## Sign a document

Lectra can remember your signature so you can place it on future PDFs.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign with the pen">
    Write your signature with the pen.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save it">
    When Lectra asks **Save this signature?**, tap **Save**. To skip it, tap **Not now**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Place it on another PDF">
    In the toolbar, tap **+**, then tap **Place saved signature**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

To turn this off, go to **Settings** > **Account** and turn off **Enable saved signatures**. If you tap **Not now** twice, Lectra also stops asking.

<Note>
  Lectra offers to save a signature until you've saved one, and you can't delete a saved signature yet.
</Note>

## Undo and redo

| Method | Undo | Redo |
| - | - | - |
| Top bar | Tap **Undo**. | Tap **Redo**. |
| Fingers | Tap the page with two fingers. | Tap the page with three fingers. |
| Keyboard | <kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>Z</kbd> | <kbd>⇧</kbd> <kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>Z</kbd> or <kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>Y</kbd> |
| Apple Pencil | Set **Squeeze** to **Undo**. | Set **Squeeze** to **Redo**. |

Undo covers ink, text boxes, images, and page changes, up to 100 steps. Undo history lasts while the document is open. To go back further, use [version history](/lectra/version-history).

## Manage pages

### Open the pages panel

Tap **Pages** in the top bar. On a narrower screen, tap **Page Overview**, or tap **More actions** > **Page Overview**. With a keyboard, press <kbd>⌥</kbd> <kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>S</kbd>.

In the panel:

* To go to a page, tap its thumbnail.
* To reorder pages, drag a thumbnail.
* To copy a page, touch and hold its thumbnail, then tap **Duplicate Page**.
* To delete a page, touch and hold its thumbnail, tap **Delete Page**, then confirm. You can undo this in the editor.

### Insert a page

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to the page before the new one">
    Go to the page that the new page should follow.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tap Insert">
    In the pages panel, tap **Insert**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose the paper">
    In **New page**, tap **Blank**, **Lined**, **Grid**, **Dotted**, or **Cornell**. The new page uses the current page's color and size. To insert every page of another PDF or image instead, tap **From Files…**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

On iPad, you can also swipe past the last page to add a blank page. A message says **New page added**. Tap **Undo** in the message to remove it.

### Change a page's paper

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Paper">
    Tap **More actions**, then tap **Paper**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose the paper and color">
    Under **Paper**, pick a style. Under **Color**, pick a color.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Apply it">
    Tap **Apply to Page**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

The change applies to the current page. If you change the last page, pages you add after it use the same paper.

### Use the document outline

If a PDF has a table of contents, tap **More actions** > **Document Outline** to see it. Tap an entry to go to that page.

## Zoom and move around

* **Zoom**: pinch with two fingers, up to 5×. To go back to the full page, double-tap with one finger.
* **Turn pages**: on iPad, swipe left or right. Pages sit side by side, one page at a time.
* **Scroll while your finger draws**: use two fingers.
* **Read without marking**: tap **Read** in the top bar. Your fingers and Apple Pencil scroll instead of drawing. Tap **Read** again to go back to your last tool.

With a keyboard, see [Keyboard shortcuts](/lectra/keyboard-shortcuts#view-and-navigation).

## Saving

Lectra saves your work automatically. Each stroke is saved as soon as you finish it, and the whole document is saved when you go back to the library, share, or print. The top bar shows whether the document is **Saving** or **Saved**.

If a save can't finish, for example because your iPad is out of space, Lectra tells you. To learn what to do, see [Troubleshooting](/lectra/troubleshooting#lectra-says-my-marks-arent-saved).

## Limits

<Note>
  * Links inside a PDF don't open when you tap them.
  * PDF form fields can't be filled in. To fill in a form, type over it with the [Text tool](/lectra/text).
  * You can't rotate pages or add bookmarks.
  * Pencil tilt doesn't change your strokes.
</Note>

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Use Apple Pencil" icon="pencil" href="/lectra/apple-pencil">
    Set up squeeze, double-tap, and finger drawing.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Export and share" icon="share-from-square" href="/lectra/export-and-share">
    Send your marked-up pages anywhere.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


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