Mark Up Your Documents on the Tablet PC
Published: November 7, 2002
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Summary
One of the most powerful features of Windows XP Tablet PC Edition is the ability to import files into Windows Journal and use your tablet pen to annotate these document images.
You import files by "printing" them to Windows Journal. Reports, forms, presentations, spreadsheets, graphics, photos, and Web pages can all be imported into Windows Journal. If you can print it, you can import it into Windows Journal and annotate it without changing any of the original content of the imported file.
This article explores scenarios for using document images and describes specific steps for working with document images, including troubleshooting steps.
What You Can Do
Let's say you are en route to a meeting with one of your clients. You import the meeting agenda, which is a .pdf file, into Windows Journal. Using your tablet pen, you make notes on the agenda of items you want to address.
During a break in the meeting, the client asks you to give your impressions of a document. You hook up your Tablet PC to the large-screen monitor in the conference room, import an image of the document into Journal, and start putting your comments on the document image. As your client listens to you and sees your handwritten comments appear on the screen, she begins to collaborate with you on changes to the document. At the end of the session, you save the efforts of your collaboration and e-mail her a copy, which she can view using Windows Journal Viewer or her Internet browser.
On the flight home, you open a document image of your company's travel expense report that you've imported into Windows Journal and saved as a template. You hand write the information into the form, submit it to the accounting department as an e-mail attachment, and save a copy to your files, eliminating the need to ever print out the form.
How It Works
Journal Note Writer is a virtual printer that manages the import of document images into Windows Journal notes. Any program that lets you print can send the document to the Journal Note Writer just as it would when printing to a physical printer. Windows Journal can then convert the document into a document image that is used as the background for a Windows Journal note.
Any file that you import into Windows Journal is imported into a new note as a set of background images. The contents of these background images cannot be changed in Windows Journal.
Importing a Document
In Windows Journal, you can create a document image in three ways:
| • | By using the Print command in a different program. This is useful if the file is open in another program. |
| • | By using the Windows Journal Import command. This is useful if you are working in Windows Journal and want to import a file. |
| • | By using the drag-and-drop feature of Microsoft Windows Explorer. This is useful for dragging a file directly into Windows Journal. |
Create a document image by using the Print command in another program
1. | Open the program that has the file that you want to use in Windows Journal, and then open that file. |
2. | Use the commands in that program to print the file by using the Journal Note Writer. |
3. | In the Save As dialog box, browse to the folder in which you want to save the document image. |
4. | In the File name box, type the name of the new file. |
5. | Tap Save to complete the process, and then close the dialog box. When the Journal Note Writer is finished, the new document image appears automatically in Windows Journal. |
Create a document image by using the Windows Journal Import command
1. | On the Standard toolbar, tap Import . |
2. | In the Import dialog box, tap the file you want to import. |
3. | If you want to adjust import settings, in the Import dialog box, tap File Import Preferences. Windows Journal opens the default originating program to start the import process. |
Create a document image by using the drag-and-drop feature
1. | In Journal, tap New Note . |
2. | Open Windows Explorer, and then browse to the file you want to drag and drop into Windows Journal. |
3. | Drag the file into the Journal window. If you can't see the Journal window, drag the file to the Windows Journal button on the Windows taskbar. When a list of file names appears, drag the file to new note file name. The note maximizes automatically. Journal opens the default originating program to start the import process. |
4. | If prompted, tap Next to complete the import process. When the Journal Note Writer is finished, the new document image appears automatically in Windows Journal. |
Notes
| • | You cannot drag e-mail attachments directly into Windows Journal. You must first save the attachment on your Tablet PC and then import the file. |
| • | With the exception of .tif files, graphics files (.jpg, .bmp, .gif, .png) cannot be imported into Windows Journal by selecting Import from the File menu. Instead, you can go to the Insert menu and tap Picture. |
Working with a Document Image
Once you've imported a document image into Windows Journal, you can mark it up with your pen and highlighter; however, the file you have imported is a background image so you can't make changes to that image. You can save, print, and send the document image as a note, which will include any annotations you have made to the image.
One useful feature of document images is the ability to search on the document image text. To search on a document image, go to the Edit menu and tap Find.
Sending Imported Document Images
You can send a document image, which includes all of your annotations, as an e-mail attachment. If the person to receive your document image has a Tablet PC or has downloaded Windows Journal Viewer, you can just send the .jnt file (the default note file format). If the person doesn't have a Tablet PC or Windows Journal Viewer, you should send the file as a Web page or a black and white image.
Send a note as an e-mail attachment
1. | Open the note you want to attach to an e-mail message. |
2. | On the File menu, tap Send to Mail Recipient. |
3. | In the Send to Mail Recipient dialog box, tap the type of file you want to attach to an e-mail message: | • | Journal note (.jnt). Your note is attached to an e-mail message in its original Windows Journal note format. The recipient can open and edit the note only if they have a copy of Windows Journal. | | • | Web page (.mht). Your note is converted into Web archive format and attached to an e-mail message. The attachment can be opened in Internet Explorer 4.0 and later, but cannot be opened and edited in Windows Journal. | | • | Black and white image (.tif). Your note is converted into a Tagged Image File Format file and attached to an e-mail message. The attachment can be opened in most graphics programs, but cannot be edited in Windows Journal. A .tif file is usually smaller than an .mht file, especially for notes with many pages. |
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Troubleshooting
When you try to import a file into Windows Journal, you receive the following error message:
Only Journal Note Writer can create a document image in Windows Journal. If you accidentally delete or uninstall the Journal Note Writer from your list of printers, you will not be able to import files.
To reinstall Journal Note Writer
1. | On the Start menu, tap Run. |
2. | In the Open box, enter Journal /RepairNoteWriter, and tap OK.
Note: There is a space after "Journal" and before the slash mark. |
3. | Tap OK to close the error message window, and try to import your file again. Note: Only users with administrator privileges can uninstall and reinstall Journal Note Writer. |
The document image you import doesn't look exactly like the original file.
If you are having problems getting the file imported correctly into Windows Journal, you might try changing the output format. There are two output formats:
| • | Standard. This format type works best for documents that are primarily text if the computer on which you view the documents has the required font or fonts installed. This option produces smaller files and better looking document images. |
| • | Image. This format type works best for documents that are primarily pictures. It is also the best choice if the computer on which you view the documents does not have the required font or fonts installed. This option produces larger files. |
Standard is the default output format and is recommended in most cases.
To change the output format
| • | On the Tools menu, tap Options. |
| • | On the Other tab, tap File Import Preferences. |
| • | In the Journal Note Writer Properties dialog box, under Output Format, select your preferred option. |
When you try to import a file into Windows Journal, you get an error message asking you to open the file in its native program and then use Journal Note Writer to print the file.
Journal Note Writer can only import files if you have the program in which the file was created on your Tablet PC. If someone sends you an e-mail attachment created with a program you do not have installed on your computer, try opening the file in a similar program and saving it in that program. For example, if you think a file was created with a word processing program, try to open it using your word processing program and save it in that program. You should then be able to import the file into Windows Journal.
