User Manual

01Overview

PlanInk is a browser-based PDF markup tool designed for large-format plan sets — utility maps, cable construction drawings, civil engineering documents, and any field or office workflow that requires annotating plans. It runs entirely in your web browser with no installation required on client devices.

Key capabilities:

• Annotate large, multi-page PDFs directly in your browser
• Open one photo, or select several at once, directly (JPG, PNG, BMP, WEBP) — automatically converted to a centered, Letter-size PDF, one page per photo, ready for annotation or straight-to-save
• Scan a photo — crop, straighten, and clean it up (Black & White, Grayscale, or Enhanced Color) before it becomes a PDF page, ideal for a phone photo of a receipt, permit, or field document shot at an angle
• Insert an image or picture — embed a photo (JPG, PNG, BMP, WEBP) directly onto the page as its own annotation, not limited to a transparent PNG the way the Sign tool's Upload tab is; resize it afterward like any other annotation
• 16 drawing and annotation tools including freehand pen, shapes, arrows, text, tables, signatures, and a measurement tool
• Select, move, resize, and delete any placed annotation
• Double-click any annotation to edit its content or properties
• Full undo and redo stack for all operations
• Annotations are flattened into the page before saving — prints in every PDF viewer and plotter
• Fill opacity independent from stroke opacity on all shapes
• Six line styles — Solid, Dotted, Short dash, Long dash, Dash-dot, and Long dash-dot — for every shape, pen, and measurement line
• Light, Dark, and Auto (system-follow) interface themes
• Smooth zoom from 10% up to 10,000%, with sharp annotation rendering at every level
• Trial and license key system for save access
• Touch screen support with pinch-to-zoom
• Scrollable toolbar adapts to any screen size
• Copy, paste, duplicate, and rotate any annotation — including moving one to a different page
• Delete pages from a document before saving, with full undo support

02System Requirements

Supported Browsers

Devices

Network

• Device must be able to reach the PlanInk server (LAN or internet depending on deployment)
• JavaScript must be enabled (default in all modern browsers)
• Minimum screen: 1024×768 recommended for plan set work

03Getting Started

Accessing PlanInk

PlanInk runs in a standard web browser. Navigate to the address provided by your administrator, for example:

Opening a PDF or Image

• Click the "Device" button in the top-left of the toolbar, press Ctrl+O, or drag a file anywhere onto the window.
• Select a PDF file, or one or more photos in JPG, PNG, BMP, or WEBP format, from your computer. Selecting multiple photos converts them into a single multi-page PDF.
• The document loads and the first page is displayed. PlanInk opens with the "Pan" tool active.

Scanning a Photo

• Click the "Scan" button (camera icon) next to "Device" in the toolbar, or "Scan a Photo" on the upload screen.
• Choose a look for the whole batch first — "Black & White" (the default, best for text documents), "Grayscale", "Enhanced Color", or "Original".
• For each photo, drag the four corner handles onto the edges of the document. A zoomed magnifier appears while you drag, showing exactly where each corner will land — especially useful on a touch screen, where a finger can otherwise hide the exact spot.
• Use the rotate buttons for a photo taken sideways, or "Skip crop, use full frame" to use the whole photo without cropping.
• Selecting multiple photos scans each one in turn, then assembles the whole batch into a single multi-page PDF using the same centered, Letter-size layout as opening photos directly.

Inserting an Image

• Click the "Image" button (picture icon) in the toolbar, or press I.
• Choose a photo or picture — JPEG, PNG, WEBP, or BMP. It's placed on the page at a comfortable, already-selected size, ready to move or resize right away.
• Double-click an inserted image to swap in a different picture without deleting and re-placing it.
• Resizing an image keeps its proportions locked, so it can't be stretched out of shape by accident — drag any handle and the whole image scales together.

Closing a Document

• Click the "Close" button (X icon) next to "Save" to fully close the open document and return to the upload screen.
• If you have any unsaved markup, PlanInk asks you to confirm before closing.
• Closing resets the active tool back to "Pan", ready for the next document.

Navigating the Document

• Pan by selecting the "Pan" tool V and dragging, or by scrolling with your mouse or trackpad at any time.
• Middle mouse button pans regardless of the active tool.
• Zoom with Ctrl + mouse wheel, the +/− buttons, or a pinch gesture on touch screens.
• The "Fit Width" button resets zoom so the full page width is visible.
• Use the page indicator at the bottom to navigate between pages.

04Interface Overview

Toolbar

The toolbar runs across the top of the screen in two rows. The top row holds the tool icons and scrolls horizontally on smaller screens — swipe or drag it to reach tools at either end. The second row is fixed in place directly beneath it and always shows the color/width/style/size/fill controls relevant to whichever tool is active, so reaching them never requires scrolling the icon row — it stays visible (though empty) even for tools with no properties, such as "Pan" or "Select", so the canvas below never shifts as you switch tools.

Canvas

The main viewing and drawing area. PDF pages render here and all annotations are drawn directly on top. On large or complex plan sets, a page may briefly show a spinning Loading indicator while it finishes rendering — this is normal and the page fills in automatically.

Status Bar

The bottom of the screen shows the page count and current page, with a page-jump control: tap the ‹ and › arrows to step one page at a time, or tap the page number and type a specific page to jump straight to it. The number always reflects whichever page is currently in view. Status messages (such as "Saved" or "Trial expired") appear here briefly after actions. The center of the status bar shows "PlanInk v" followed by the installed version number, so you can confirm which build is running at a glance; it hides on narrow phone screens to avoid crowding the page-jump control.

05Tools Reference

File Tools

Navigation Tools

Drawing Tools

06Stroke Properties

07Working with Text

The "Text" tool lets you add a label to a plan sheet in your choice of font, with word wrap and left/center/right alignment, placed as a normal, resizable annotation — the same way the "Sign" tool places a signature.

Creating a Text Label

• Press X or click the "Text" button to open the "Text" dialog.
• Type your label. Press Enter within the box for a line break inside the same label — it isn't a submit button.
• Choose a font: the default (a bold sans-serif) or one of three cursive fonts — Dancing Script, Caveat, or Pacifico.
• Pick a color for the text.
• Turn "Wrap" on to have long lines reflow automatically to fit the label's width as you resize it; leave it off to have lines break only where you pressed Enter yourself.
• Choose Left, Center, or Right alignment.
• A live preview shows the label as you type and adjust these settings.

Placing and Editing Text Labels

• Click "Insert text" to place it on the current page — PlanInk switches to the "Select" tool automatically with the new label already selected, ready to drag or resize.
• Double-click a placed text label with the "Select" tool to reopen the "Text" dialog and update its wording, font, color, wrap, or alignment — the position and size are kept and the edit is undoable.
• Resize by dragging any handle. Width and height resize independently of each other, so you can make a label wider without also making it taller.

08Working with Tables

Creating a Table

• Press T or click the "Table" button to open the "Insert Table" dialog.
• The dialog opens with a default 2×2 grid.

Table Styling

Placing and Editing Tables

• Click "Place on canvas" to insert the table — PlanInk switches to the "Select" tool automatically with the new table already selected, ready to drag or resize.
• Double-click any placed table with the "Select" tool to reopen its editor dialog pre-filled with current data and styling.
• Click "Update table" to apply changes. The edit is undoable.

09Working with Signatures

The "Sign" tool lets you add a signature to a plan sheet three ways — draw it, type it in a cursive font, or upload an image of it — and place it as a normal, resizable annotation.

Creating a Signature

• Press N or click the "Sign" button to open the "Sign" dialog.
• Choose one of three tabs: "Draw", "Type", or "Upload".

Draw

• Draw your signature directly with a mouse, stylus, or finger on the white signature pad.
• Click "Clear" to start over.
• The white background is automatically made transparent when placed, so only your ink appears on the page.

Type

• Type your name and choose one of three cursive fonts: Dancing Script, Caveat, or Pacifico.
• Adjust the size slider and ink color, then preview your signature live before placing it.

Upload

• Upload a PNG image of your signature.
• Tapping "Upload" opens your device’s standard file picker, so you can browse your files as well as choose a recent photo.
• A transparent background is recommended. PlanInk checks the file and warns you if no transparency is detected — in that case it will place as a solid rectangle.
• If the file you choose isn’t a valid PNG image, PlanInk shows a message asking you to pick a PNG instead.

Placing and Editing Signatures

• Click "Insert signature" to place it on the current page — PlanInk switches to the "Select" tool automatically with the new signature already selected, ready to drag or resize.
• Double-click a placed signature with the "Select" tool to reopen the "Sign" dialog and replace it with a new draw, type, or upload — the position is kept and the edit is undoable.

10Selecting, Moving, and Resizing

Selecting

• Switch to the "Select" tool by pressing S or clicking "Select" in the toolbar.
• Click any annotation to select it. A blue dashed bounding box appears with 8 circular handles.
• Click on empty canvas or press Escape to deselect.
• If annotations overlap, clicking again at the same spot selects the next one underneath instead of re-selecting the topmost one — keep clicking to cycle through everything stacked at that point.

Cursor Guide

Moving and Resizing

• Drag inside the bounding box to move. Drag a handle to resize.
• Tables: resizing scales column width, row height, and font size proportionally.
• Text: width and height resize independently — dragging a side handle changes only that dimension. The label re-renders at a crisp resolution once you release the handle, rather than stretching.
• Signatures: resizing scales the image proportionally, preserving its aspect ratio.

Deleting

• Select any annotation, then press Delete or Backspace to remove it (undoable).

Copying, Pasting, Duplicating, and Rotating

• Select any annotation, then use the small floating toolbar that appears above (or below, if there's no room) its selection box. ⧉ "Duplicate" places an immediate copy on the same page, offset slightly so it doesn't land exactly on top of the original. ↻ "Rotate" turns it 90° clockwise with each tap. ✕ "Delete" removes it, the same as pressing Delete or Backspace.
• "Rotate" works for every shape and drawing tool, plus "Timestamp" and "Measure". "Table", "Sign", and "Text" can't be rotated.
• "Copy" and "Paste" are also available as standalone buttons in the main toolbar, next to "Select". "Copy" only appears once something is selected; "Paste" only appears once something has actually been copied. On desktop, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X, and Ctrl+V do the same thing.

Deleting Pages

• Navigate to the page you want to remove, then tap the 🗑 button in the page controls at the bottom of the screen.
• PlanInk asks you to confirm, naming the page by its current number. If the page has any markup on it, the confirmation says so — deleting the page removes its markup too.
• The page is hidden immediately and the remaining pages renumber to close the gap. Nothing is actually removed from the file until you Save.
• Ctrl+Z restores a deleted page, exactly like any other action.
• You can't delete the only remaining page — the button disables itself once just one page is left.

11Editing Existing Annotations

Double-clicking any annotation with the "Select" tool active opens an editor for that annotation type:

12Undo and Redo

The undo stack covers: drawing, erasing, moving, resizing, deleting, text edits, table edits, signature edits, and shape property changes.

13Themes: Light, Dark, and Auto

• Click the theme button (far right of toolbar) to cycle: Auto → Light → Dark → Auto.
• Your preference is saved in your browser and remembered on your next visit.
• The PDF canvas always renders at full contrast regardless of theme.

14Saving Your Work

When you save, PlanInk downloads an annotated copy of the PDF to your computer. All annotations — including signatures — are permanently flattened into the page content, making them printable in every PDF viewer, printer, and large-format plotter without any special settings.

• Click "Save" or press Ctrl+S.
• A save gate dialog appears if you have no active license.
• With an active license or trial, the file downloads immediately.
• The filename has "-markup.pdf" appended. Trial watermarked files use "-TRIAL-markup.pdf".
• A photo (or batch of photos) converted to PDF can be saved immediately, even with no markup added — "Save" downloads the converted PDF as-is. A PDF you opened directly still needs at least one annotation before "Save" produces a file.

15Opening and Saving from Google Drive (Beta)

PlanInk can open a PDF directly from your Google Drive, let you mark it up as usual, and save your changes back to the same file — without the file ever passing through PlanInk's own servers.

Opening a File from Drive

• Click Drive in the toolbar, or Open from Google Drive on the start screen.
• Sign in with your Google account if prompted.
• Choose the PDF you want to open from the picker window.
• The file loads into PlanInk exactly as if you'd opened it from your device.

Saving Back to Drive

Once a file is open from Drive, the Save button writes your markup back to that same file automatically. A second button, Save local copy, is also available if you'd like a copy downloaded to your device as well.

If the file was changed on Drive by someone else since you opened it, PlanInk will warn you and let you choose whether to overwrite the Drive version or save a local copy instead, so nothing is lost.

Availability: Google Drive integration is currently available on the hosted PlanInk service (app.planink.app). It is not yet available on self-hosted LAN deployments.

16Licensing

PlanInk uses a save gate to control access to clean (watermark-free) saves. When you click "Save" without an active license, a dialog appears with three options:

Trial Code

• Enter a TRIAL-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX code to activate 30 days of full access.
• Trial codes are one-time use per device.
• Get a trial code at planink.app.

License Key

• Enter a license key to activate your license. Keys are validated against the PlanInk license server and tied to specific devices.
• SEAT-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX — Professional: 1 seat, up to 3 devices.
• TEAM-XXXXXXXX-…-S01 through S10 — Team: up to 10 seats, 3 devices per seat. Each team member uses their own seat sub-key.
• ORG-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX — Organization: up to 50 seats, 3 devices per seat.
• Licenses are validated against the PlanInk license server on activation and re-checked weekly. A 7-day grace period allows offline use if the server is unreachable.
• Each device activation is tracked — visit planink.app/manage to view or remove active devices.
• Saves on a licensed tier stamp a small QR code, called a Device Stamp, in the bottom corner of every page, identifying which device and license produced the file — including when saving fully offline with no internet connection at all. It contains no personal information and doesn’t affect the document’s content — scanning it just returns a short code. Basic (watermarked) saves don’t get one, since there’s no license behind them to identify.

Save with Watermark (Basic)

• Save immediately without a license.
• A "PLANINK TRIAL — planink.app" watermark is tiled diagonally across every page.
• The watermark renders on top of all content and annotations.
• Watermarked files are for evaluation only and not suitable for official submissions.

Expired or Revoked Licenses

• When a trial or timed license expires, the status bar shows a notification on the next save attempt.
• The save gate dialog reopens automatically.
• Trial codes cannot be reused on the same device after expiry.
• If a license is revoked (for example, after a refund or a policy issue), the save gate shows a message that the license has been revoked, rather than expired.
• This can also happen automatically, not only when you click "Save" — PlanInk checks periodically in the background and right when you bring the app back to the foreground, so you may see this message shortly after reopening it even if you haven't tried to save anything yet.

Clearing License Data

To reset license data in your browser (for testing or troubleshooting), paste the following into the browser console (F12 → Console):

17Keyboard Shortcuts

18Touch Screen Usage

• The toolbar scrolls horizontally on narrow screens — swipe left or right to reach all tools.
• All dialog boxes are touch-friendly.
• The "Sign" dialog's "Draw" pad supports touch and stylus input, the same as the main canvas.

19Installing PlanInk as an App

At app.planink.app, PlanInk can be installed as a standalone app instead of used only in a browser tab — its own window, its own icon in your app launcher or Home Screen, no address bar.

• In Chrome or Edge (desktop or Android), an install icon appears in the address bar (or the ⋮ menu). Click it and confirm to install.
• On Safari (iOS/iPadOS), tap Share, then "Add to Home Screen."
• Once installed, PlanInk opens in its own window and gets its own icon — no browser chrome, no address bar.

If Your LAN Server Becomes Unreachable

If you're using a LAN deployment and it becomes unreachable — for example, you've left the office network — a banner appears at the top of the screen: "Can't reach your LAN server right now." Tap the link in the banner to switch to the hosted cloud version at app.planink.app instead.

20Tips and Best Practices

General Workflow

• Open the PDF and navigate to the correct page in "Pan" mode before drawing.
• Set your color and stroke width before drawing — these apply to new annotations immediately.
• Use "Undo" (Ctrl+Z) freely. It covers everything including moves, resizes, edits, and deletions.
• For large plan sets with many pages, annotate one page at a time and save after each page.
• Field photos (splices, panels, equipment) can be opened directly — no need to convert to PDF first.

Color Conventions for Utility and Construction Plans

• Red (#E53935): New or proposed work (standard redline convention).
• Blue: Notes, callouts, reference dimensions.
• Green: Existing infrastructure to remain.
• Black: General annotations, text labels, table borders.
• White fill + colored border: Legend boxes and callout backgrounds.

Editing and Correcting Annotations

• Double-click any annotation with the "Select" tool to edit it without deleting and redrawing.
• Use the shape property editor to adjust color, width, or fill on placed shapes.
• Text labels can be updated in-place — the edit is undoable.

Working with Legends and Tables

• Use the "Table" tool to create a legend box with a header row and colored data rows.
• Set per-row fill colors to match your annotation colors for a professional legend.
• Place the table last so it renders on top of other annotations.
• Resize the table with the "Select" tool after placing to fit your available space.

Using the "Sign" Tool

• Use "Type" mode for a quick, legible signature; use "Draw" mode when you want your actual handwriting.
• Place your signature last, after other annotations, so it sits on top.
• Resize it once placed with the "Select" tool rather than trying to get the size exactly right in the dialog.
• For repeated use across many sheets, Upload a saved transparent PNG of your signature for a consistent look every time.

Using the "Text" Tool

• Type the full label before worrying about sizing — the dialog's preview shows it at a comfortable reading size regardless of how big or small the box ends up on the page.
• Turn "Wrap" on for longer labels you'll want to resize later; leave it off for short one-line callouts where you want full control over exactly where the line breaks.
• Resize the label once placed with the "Select" tool — width and height resize independently, so you can widen a label without also making it taller.
• Since a text label is an image once placed, pick your font and color before clicking "Insert text". "Update text" keeps your wording and re-renders it if you change your mind, but getting it right the first time saves a step.

Using the "Measure" Tool

• Select the "Measure" tool (M), click to place the first point, then click again for each additional waypoint — a running preview shows the segment as you move the pointer. Pause briefly, double-click, or press Enter to finish; Escape cancels.
• Measurements magnetically snap to round numbers (1 / 5 / 10 / 25 / 50 / 100 ft or m) as you draw, so a line meant to land on exactly 100 ft does so cleanly. Change the increment or turn "Snap" off in the "Measure" toolbar row; hold Alt while drawing to bypass snapping for one segment.
• If the plan has no printed scale but shows something of known real-world size, use "Calibrate": click the "Calibrate" button, draw a line along that known feature, finish it, then enter its real length. PlanInk derives the scale and recalculates every existing measurement on the page to match.
• Use the "Measure" toolbar row's Label size and Label background controls (or the double-click editor, for a measurement already placed) to make a dimension label stand out against busy plan content — a colored, semi-opaque box behind the text reads clearly even over dense linework or imagery.
• The measurement label, including any background box, is embedded in the saved PDF alongside your other annotations.
• For field calibration, verify the plan scale before measuring — scanned or resized plans may not match their printed scale. Calibrating against a known object on the plan (above) is usually faster and more reliable than trusting a printed scale bar.

Using "Scan"

• Frame the whole document in the photo with a bit of margin around it — it's easier to drag a corner in than to guess where an edge outside the frame would be.
• Pick "Black & White" for text-heavy documents like permits and receipts; use "Enhanced Color" or "Original" when color itself matters, such as a photo with colored markings or stamps.
• On a touch screen, watch the magnifier rather than your finger while dragging a corner — it shows the exact point that will become that corner, not the point your fingertip is covering.
• Good, even lighting helps more than a high-resolution camera — "Black & White" uses an adaptive threshold that already compensates for some shadow and glare, but an evenly-lit photo will always scan more cleanly.

Using "Image"

• Use "Image" for anything that isn't a signature — a site photo, a permit, a receipt, a screenshot — in JPEG, PNG, WEBP, or BMP; use "Sign"'s "Upload" tab only for an actual signature PNG.
• Resize from a corner handle to keep the photo's proportions — every handle is locked to the same aspect ratio, so there's no dragging it into a stretched, distorted shape.
• Double-click an image to replace its picture in place, rather than deleting it and inserting a new one — its position and size carry over to the new photo.