Add Text Box

What is Add Text Box?

Add Text Box places a bordered rectangular text annotation on a specific page of a PDF at coordinates you specify. The tool draws a white rectangle with a black border, then renders text inside it using Helvetica at 12pt.

You configure the page number, x/y position, width, height, and text content. The text box is drawn directly onto the page's content stream using pdf-lib, making it a permanent part of the PDF — not an annotation that can be removed by a PDF reader.

The default dimensions are 200x40 points at position (50, 400), but all parameters are fully configurable. The text is positioned 5 points from the left edge and 18 points from the top of the text box rectangle.

The text box is drawn as a permanent part of the page content. The white rectangle background ensures the text is readable even over busy or dark page content. The black border makes the annotation visually distinct from the surrounding document.

The text box consists of two elements drawn on the page content stream: a filled white rectangle with a black border (drawn first, so it appears behind the text), and the text itself rendered in Helvetica at 12pt. Both elements are permanent parts of the PDF content.

How to Use Add Text Box

1. Drop a PDF onto the upload zone, or click to browse and select it.
2. Specify the page number (1-indexed) where the text box should appear.
3. Set the x and y coordinates (in PDF points, where 72 points = 1 inch). Default: x=50, y=400.
4. Set the width and height of the text box rectangle. Default: 200x40 points.
5. Enter the text content to display inside the box.
6. Click Add Text Box. The tool draws the bordered rectangle and renders the text on the specified page.
7. A download button appears with your file, named text-box-added.pdf.
8. The text is rendered using the standard Helvetica font at 12pt size. For longer text that exceeds the box width, the tool truncates at the box boundary. The text position within the box is fixed at 5 points from the left and 18 points from the top.

Why Use Add Text Box?

Reviewers and editors adding comments, labels, or callouts to PDF pages need a quick way to place visible text markers without specialized annotation tools. The text box creates a permanent, visible marker that travels with the document.

Form fillers and data entry workers adding reference numbers, dates, or classification labels to printed PDF pages use text boxes to stamp information at specific locations on the page.

Designers and proofreaders marking up layouts need bordered text annotations that stand out from the page content. The white background and black border ensure the annotation is visible regardless of the underlying content.

Quality assurance inspectors marking defect locations, page references, or review notes directly on PDF pages use text boxes as visible, permanent annotations that cannot be accidentally removed or hidden by PDF viewer settings.

Legal document reviewers adding exhibit labels, bates numbers, or confidentiality markings use text boxes to stamp visible identifiers directly on specific pages, creating a permanent record that travels with the document.

Privacy & Security

Your files never leave your browser. Every step — loading the PDF, drawing the text box rectangle, rendering the text, and saving the output — happens on your own device using pdf-lib. Nothing is uploaded to Racira's servers, no copies are stored in the cloud, and no file data is transmitted at any point.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the text box editable after adding it?

No. The text box is drawn directly onto the page content stream as vector graphics and text, not as a PDF annotation object. Once added, it cannot be moved or edited with standard PDF tools. To modify it, you would need to redraw the page content.

Can I change the font, size, or colors?

Not with this tool. The font is fixed at Helvetica 12pt, the border is black, and the background is white. For custom styling, use the Add Callout tool or a dedicated PDF editor.

How do PDF coordinates work?

PDF coordinates use points (1 point = 1/72 inch). The origin (0,0) is at the bottom-left corner of the page. Y increases upward, so y=400 places the text box near the top of a standard letter page (which is 792 points tall).

Can I add multiple text boxes to the same page?

Not in a single operation. The tool adds one text box per run. To add multiple boxes, run the tool multiple times, using the output of each run as the input for the next. Each run adds one box at the specified coordinates.

Can I add text boxes to multiple pages at once?

Not in a single operation. The tool targets one page per run. To add text boxes to multiple pages, run the tool once for each page, using the output of each run as the input for the next. This sequential approach ensures each box is placed correctly.

What if my text is too long for the box?

The text is rendered at the specified position and will extend beyond the box boundary if it is too long. The tool does not auto-wrap or truncate text. To prevent overflow, either increase the box width or shorten the text content.