FAQs

How do I know whether or not I need your services?

Do you feel 100% confident that your material is clear, effective, and error-free? If not, send us a couple of paragraphs from your document. After we perform a free sample edit, the answer will be crystal clear.

Will you keep my material confidential?

All documents, ideas, and personal information shared with us, whether related to a contracted project or otherwise, are treated with the utmost confidentiality. Neither your name, address, phone number, fax number, e-mail address nor your work will be distributed to or discussed with anyone outside of our staff unless the work to be performed requires that another professional be consulted and then only with your express written consent prior to said consultation. In this instance, the only details that will be disclosed are those which are absolutely essential to achieve the results you desire.

Are there any projects you do not accept?

We are not interested in reviewing poetry, essays, children’s fiction, short stories, or gay/lesbian material.

Do you edit electronically or on hard copy?

Clients may opt for us to edit either electronically or on hard copy.

What are the differences between hard copy and electronic editing?

With electronic editing, edits are made on-screen using a word processing program such as Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, or Adobe Acrobat utilizing features that track editing changes and provide an edit trail for review. This method eliminates the need for clients to interpret handwritten proofreaders’ marks or spend their valuable time transferring our edits to the electronic copy. Electronic editing eliminates the risk that the client may miss or misinterpret any of our edits. You’ll be able to approve all changes before they are incorporated into your document. If we work in WordPerfect, Works, OpenOffice, or other word processing program, we’ll provide a redline of your original document compared to the edited version to show you the changes.

Hard-copy editing requires significantly more of the author’s time than electronic editing. Using standard proofreaders’ marks, we edit the printed (hard) copy of your manuscript and return it to you to incorporate the changes.

For website proofreading, do I have to copy the text into a Word or WordPerfect document before submitting?

With Pentouch that isn’t necessary. We can proofread your HTML, ASP, PHP, CGM, SHTML, XML, or XHTML pages, edit the source code without altering the page structure, and return the revised pages to you ready for uploading. You can submit your entire website to us in a ZIP file or we can download the pages from your site. We can also edit Web pages submitted in Microsoft Word or Rich Text Format. In special cases, we can edit PDF documents for a nominal surcharge.

How can I submit my material for an estimate?

We accept submissions for evaluation as e-mail attachments or via U.S. mail on jump drive or CD-rom in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Works, WordPerfect, rich text, text, and PDF formats or any of the formats in the preceding FAQ.

You may submit your request via our estimate request form or email us at helpdesk (at) pentouch.com. Include a brief description of your project and the specific service(s) you are requesting plus any relevant deadline(s), total word and page count, and an excerpt of your material, if possible. If your material is published online, you may simply provide the URL (or website address) in your quote request. We will acknowledge your inquiry upon receipt, then follow up with our estimate or any questions we may have once we’ve had an opportunity to review your material (generally within one business day). We will also advise you of scheduling availability as well as an estimated date of completion.

Once I decide to work with Pentouch, what are the first steps?

We’ll forward to you a service agreement to review, sign, and return along with payment for the portion of the estimate specified in the service agreement. Once we receive your deposit and signed agreement we will add your project to our schedule. In the event we are not due to begin immediately, we will not deposit your check until we are ready to begin work. Please note that we cannot calendar a project or begin work without a retainer and an executed agreement unless other arrangements are mutually agreed upon in advance.

What are the terms of the free assessment or sample edit?

One free assessment or sample edit is offered per company or individual and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. We reserve the right of refusal and may decline to assess a document without explanation. Offer is restricted to U.S. businesses and residents only and is not available for topics that may be considered offensive.

Do I have to pay before you return my document?

Unless otherwise agreed in writing in advance, all clients are required to pay before the completed work is returned.

What payment methods does Pentouch accept?

Pentouch accepts VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and checks through PayPal.

How do I accept tracked changes in Word?

In Word 2003, activate the Reviewing toolbar by selecting VIEW from the dropdown menu, select TOOLBARS , and click REVIEWING. To accept one tracked change, click within the change and then click ACCEPT button (the one with the blue checkmark) OR right-click on the tracked change and choose ACCEPT INSERTION or ACCEPT DELETION, etc. To reject one tracked change, click within the change and then click REJECT CHANGE button (the one with the red cross). To accept all changes, click the down arrow next to the Accept Change button on the toolbar and select ACCEPT ALL CHANGES IN DOCUMENT.

In Word 2007, select the REVIEW tab, position the cursor or mouse on the revision and click the ACCEPT button to accept changes one by one, or click the arrow below the ACCEPT button, and select ACCEPT ALL CHANGES IN DOCUMENT.

How do I get rid of comments in Word?

Position the mouse over the comment, right-click and select DELETE COMMENT.