Power users don't just know shortcuts — they create them. Custom shortcuts for opening your most-used PDF tools, saving to your inbox folder, applying your naming convention.
Fifteen minutes to set up. Saves seconds every PDF, forever.
Bookmark Flint tools to the bookmarks bar
Bookmark merge, sign, compress, edit, redact to the browser's bookmarks bar. Most browsers let you trigger bookmarks with Cmd/Ctrl + 1 through 9 based on position.
Five bookmarks; five keyboard shortcuts. Open any Flint tool in one keystroke.
OS-level shortcuts for folder navigation
On Mac, use Spotlight (Cmd+Space) and type your inbox folder name. On Windows, pin folders to Quick Access or set up shortcuts via the Start menu.
Opening `/Inbox/PDFs` should be one or two keystrokes, not a click-through. Make it so.
Text expanders for naming conventions
Tools like Espanso (free), TextExpander, or aText let you trigger long strings from short codes. Set up:
- `;ymd` → today's date in `YYYY-MM-DD` format. - `;sig` → `_signed.pdf`. - `;recpt` → `_Receipt.pdf`.
For naming files to your convention, these are huge time savers.
Automator/Power Automate for repeating sequences
Mac's Automator and Windows' Power Automate can chain together actions. Example: a shortcut that takes the selected file, opens it in Flint via browser, and pre-fills the rename prompt.
Overkill for casual users; transformative for high-volume PDF workers.
FAQ
Which tool should I use for text expansion?
Espanso is free and cross-platform. TextExpander is polished but paid. aText is Mac-only and inexpensive. All work well.
How long to set this up?
15 minutes for the basics (bookmarks, text expanders for dates). An hour for advanced sequences. Payback within a week.
Are browser bookmark shortcuts the same everywhere?
Mostly. Chrome and Edge use Cmd/Ctrl + 1–9. Firefox is similar. Safari uses different shortcuts; check Safari preferences.
What's the highest-ROI shortcut to set up?
Text expander for today's date in ISO format. Used every time you rename a PDF, saves typing 10 characters.
Setup once; benefit forever. Bookmark Flint as your first shortcut and build from there.