> For the complete user guide index, see [llms.txt](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/llms.txt).

# Read a Company Primer

[Canonical page](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/company-research/company-primer/)

## Applicability

- **Task:** Open, read, and verify a Company Primer for a selected company
- **Access:** Portrait account
- **Audience:** Portrait users reviewing generated company context
- **Surfaces:** web
- **Workflow status:** current
- **Availability:** Production for supported companies and actions
- **Content type:** how-to
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-09-07

A Company Primer is generated research about one company. Read it to understand the business, then check its material claims against the cited sources. Use [Review a company Case Study](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/company-research/stock-replay-experience/) when you need quarter-by-quarter developments.

## Before you start

Sign in to the web app and choose one company by name or ticker. You can read an available Primer without creating a Project. If no Primer is available, follow the generation and coverage checks below.

Portrait can use available company filings, earnings-call transcripts, presentations, news, and web research when generating a Primer. Coverage and source access vary by company, account, and licence. A Primer is secondary analysis, not a primary source.

## What a Company Primer contains

- **Abridged** condenses the available Primer for a shorter read.
- **Full** combines Company Overview, Company Logistics, Industry Overview, and Financial Overview.

Both versions can include inline citations and a **Sources** section. A version, section, or citation may be absent when the relevant material is unavailable or generation has not finished.

## Open a Company Primer

1. Open **Companies** in the web app.
2. Select the company you want to research.
3. In **Overview**, select **Read primer**.

Portrait opens **Abridged** by default. Select the company name in the breadcrumb to return to its company page.

## Choose the abridged or full version

Use the **Primer length** control to switch between **Abridged** and **Full**. An unavailable version remains disabled until its content is ready. The abridged version can become available while the full version is still being generated.

## Request a missing Primer

If **Overview** says that no Primer has been generated and shows **Request Primer**:

1. Select **Request Primer**.
2. In the confirmation dialog, turn on **Email me when it’s ready** if you want an email notification.
3. Confirm **Request Primer**.
4. Continue working elsewhere in Portrait while generation runs.
5. Return to the company to review the available version. If you requested an email, Portrait notifies you when generation completes.

Portrait can generate a Primer only when processed annual or periodic filings are available for the selected company. If those source documents are unavailable, **Overview** explains that a Primer cannot be built yet and provides the support address for requesting coverage.

## Copy or save a Primer

On desktop, open **More primer actions** and select **Copy to clipboard** to copy the selected version. Use **Save Primer as PDF** to export it. Switching between Abridged and Full changes which version is copied or saved; unavailable actions remain disabled.

## Navigate and question the Primer

Use **Primer contents** to move between headings in a long Primer. You can also select a passage and send it with your question to **Ask Easel about {company}**. The selected company, Primer version, and quoted passage become context for the new Easel question; they do not alter the Primer.

## Verify material claims

1. Confirm that you opened the intended company and Primer version.
2. Select an inline citation or its corresponding entry under **Sources**. Portrait opens available source evidence beside the Primer.
3. Check whether the cited passage supports the specific claim and whether the source date is appropriate for your work.
4. If Portrait cannot display or link the source, verify the claim separately before relying on it.

Generated research can be incomplete or incorrect. See [Check a claim against its source](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/company-research/documents/#check-a-claim-against-its-source) for the source-review boundary that applies across Portrait.

## Troubleshoot availability and generation

- **No Primer is available:** Select **Request Primer** from **Overview** only when the action appears. Its absence can mean that the required source documents are unavailable.
- **Generation is still running:** Wait for an available version instead of starting repeated requests. You can leave the company page without stopping generation.
- **Only the abridged version is ready:** Switch to Abridged and return to Full after generation completes.
- **Generation failed:** In **Overview**, select **Try again**. If the problem persists, [contact Portrait support](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/more/contact-us/).
- **Citations cannot be resolved:** Refresh the page. If the problem persists, contact support and identify the company and Primer version without sending credentials or licensed source content.