Importing/Embedding PDF so it is searchable

[MT]

I am in the process of buying a tablet PC which comes with OneNote.

Whilst I'm waiting, I would like to know whether it is possible to import or
embed a PDF (and other filestypes) in such a way that both the text of the
PDF and my annotations can be searched.

From my reading I have found two options - PrintOut and Insert > File.

My understanding is that if you use PrintOut you can then right click the
image and select make this text searchable. I was unsure if annotations made
after the document is processed by PrintOut are also searchable.

My understanding is that if you use Insert > File, the embedded file is not
searchable in OneNote. However, it seems to be suggested that this method
provides higher quality of the imported file - i.e. there seem to be a lot of
opinions suggesting that PrintOut results in a drop of quality (at least for
PDF files).

What I'm hoping to achieve with my tablet PC is having electronic copies of
my handwritten lecture notes and handouts/slides etc that are searchable and
can be annotated. Ideally if I could also copy pieces of a PDF and paste it
into my notes and still have it searchable this would be great.

 

[Rainald Taesler]

I am in the process of buying a tablet PC which comes with OneNote.

Whilst I'm waiting, I would like to know whether it is possible to
import or embed a PDF (and other filestypes) in such a way that both
the text of the PDF and my annotations can be searched.

From my reading I have found two options - PrintOut and Insert > File.

There would be a third option: Just linking the PDF-file. And another
one (with very limited results): Copying the text of a PDF in the reader
and pasting it into ON (all formatting will be lost).

My understanding is that if you use PrintOut you can then right click
the image and select make this text searchable. I was unsure if
annotations made after the document is processed by PrintOut are also
searchable.

Annotations are totally separate. The are not combined with the images
produced by "printing" into ON.
So they are searchable too.

My understanding is that if you use Insert > File, the embedded file
is not searchable in OneNote.
Right.

However, it seems to be suggested that
this method provides higher quality of the imported file - i.e. there
seem to be a lot of opinions suggesting that PrintOut results in a
drop of quality (at least for PDF files).

"Embedded" files are opened with the native application associated for
the file-type (Adobe Reader f.e.). So one is used the original with its
original application.
There is a certain loss of quality but IMO the quality is fully
sufficient.

What I'm hoping to achieve with my tablet PC is having electronic
copies of my handwritten lecture notes and handouts/slides etc that
are searchable and can be annotated.

Yes this will work.

Ideally if I could also copy pieces of a PDF and paste it into my
notes and still have it searchable this would be great.

As said: Copy & Paste from a PDF is possible (but without keeping the
formatting, just plain text).
As an alternative one may use the "snapshot" (camera icon) in the Adobe
Reader to copy parts of the document and the past that into ON as an
image. Due to ON's OCR feature, the text will be searchable.

HTH
Rainald