How to Keep Acrobat Text Box Comments at Full Opacity
Question details
The user wants to prevent text box comments in Adobe Acrobat from losing opacity and fading when deselected or printed.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
- Device & OS
- macOS
- Scenario
- Adding and formatting text box comments in a PDF document.
- Observed behavior
- Text box comments appear fully red when selected but fade to a pale pink color when deselected or printed.
Ensure you have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Pro DC installed on your Mac. It is also helpful to test the issue on a different PDF file to rule out document-specific corruption.
Set Text Box Properties to Default
Adjust the opacity settings in the Text Box Properties and save them as the default to ensure all future text boxes retain their full color.
When a text box loses its opacity upon deselection, it usually means the default appearance properties for that annotation tool have been altered. Resetting and locking these properties will fix the display issue for both viewing and printing.
Right-click on the faded text box comment in your PDF and select "Properties" from the context menu.
In the Appearance tab of the Properties window, ensure the color is set to your desired bright red and the Opacity slider is set to 100%.
Check the box at the bottom of the window that says "Make Properties Default" before clicking OK to save the changes.
Deselect the text box by clicking elsewhere on the document to confirm it remains fully red. Try printing the document to ensure the opacity is retained on paper.
Add and Customize Text Boxes in WPS PDF
If you are experiencing persistent formatting issues in Acrobat, WPS PDF offers a seamless and free way to add, edit, and customize text box comments with guaranteed opacity and color retention.
- 1. Open your PDF in WPS Office: Launch WPS Office and open your PDF document using the built-in WPS PDF tool.
- 2. Insert a Text Box: Navigate to the "Comment" tab on the top ribbon and click on "Text Box" to draw a new text box anywhere on your document.
- 3. Customize Appearance: Use the properties panel on the right side of the screen to set your desired border color and fill color, ensuring the opacity slider remains at 100%.
- 4. Save and Print: Save your document. The text box will reliably retain its exact appearance whether viewed on screen or printed out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do my PDF comments look different when printed?
This often happens due to print settings or transparency flattening issues in your PDF viewer. Ensuring that "Print As Image" is selected in the advanced print settings can sometimes resolve color and opacity discrepancies on paper.
Can I change the default color of all text boxes in my PDF?
Yes. In most PDF editors, including Acrobat and WPS PDF, you can format a single text box to your liking, right-click it, and select "Make Current Properties Default" to apply those exact settings to all future text boxes you create.
Does macOS Preview handle PDF text boxes the same way as Acrobat?
No, macOS Preview uses Apple's built-in PDF rendering engine, which may interpret annotations, colors, and transparency differently than Adobe Acrobat. If comments look wrong in Acrobat, they might still look correct in Preview, or vice versa.
