Annotate your PDFs with this handy iPad app

The iPad is the perfect device for annotating documents, and the PDF Cabinet app promises to make it easier than ever. We take it for a spin and find out how it works in practice.

By Creative Bloq Staff
published

Our Verdict

Elegant in its simplicity, PDF Cabinet makes annotation a beautifully refined experience.

For

  • Fast and responsive
  • Elegantly simple
  • Integrates with Mail and Safari

Against

  • Visuals may not be to your taste

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PDF Cabinet is an easy-to-use editor and organiser for the portable document format.

While visually it might not be to everyone’s taste, the interface apes a real-world metaphor that clearly works: documents live in bound paper folders housed within an oak-styled cabinet interface.

The feature-rich app enables you to manipulate PDFs in a range of ways

The feature-rich app enables you to manipulate PDFs in a range of ways

You can tap and hold a document to drag it into a folder, delete, print, or share it through email, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. A briefer tap brings up options to edit properties, duplicate, lock or open a document, as well as view earlier collated versions of the same file.

The app integrates with Mail and Safari, but the in-app import option allows you to download documents directly from a URL or even convert photos from your photo library for viewing and storage.

The interface is speedy, intuitive and responsive

The interface is speedy, intuitive and responsive

And editing is responsive, fast and a delight: tapping on the current page draws down a menu bar with contents, a bookmark tool and further view options, as well as a handy collaboration feature for sharing the currently viewed PDF with other Cabinet users within Wi-Fi range. See the app in action in this video:

Key info

  • Price: £1.99 / $2.99
  • Universal: No
  • Version: 1.0.3
  • App size: 35.2 MB
  • Developer: Com Tec Co Ltd
  • Age rating: 4+

This review originally featured in Tap! Magazine issue 22.

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The Verdict
10

out of 10

PDF Cabinet

Elegant in its simplicity, PDF Cabinet makes annotation a beautifully refined experience.

Creative Bloq Staff

The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of seven full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Deals Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Digital Arts and Design Editor Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Abi Le Guilcher, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq.