I used the marker to Highlight, and my highlights didn't transfer properly to the new draft! Help!

You may have a "flattened" PDF.

A Flattened PDF is a file where the contents of the PDF are no longer recognizable as individual parts, so the Scriptation algorithm (or any PDF program) isn't going to be able to recognize ANY text in the file.

This often happens with scanned files, and with some watermarking programs.

NOTE: A flattened PDF will also cause Reader Mode to not display properly.

How can I check if my PDF has been flattened?

An easy way to test if your file has been flattened is by trying to use the Text Marking Highlight function.
If the Text Marking Highlight function does not recognize any text, then the file unfortunately has been flattened, and it will not be possible to do an automated transfer of your marker highlights.

You may want to ask your production folks if they can distribute their files in a different way, to ensure everyone can go paperless!

What's Next

Highlighting tool vs Highlighting with the Marker
What is Actor Highlighting?
What is Reader Mode?

Updated on: 27/02/2025