How to Create Interactive PDF Forms
Portable Document Format (PDF) is a type of file that turns a source document into a format that is viewable by computer users with PDF reading software. The advantage is that there is no need for those who need to view the document to have the source program. With newer versions of PDF writing programs, there are many ways to edit the documents. One way is to create interactive fields in which to collect data and to avoid having to maintain paper copies of the documents. You can create an interactive PDF form by following a few basic steps.
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Instructions
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Download a PDF writing program. There are several free versions available (see "Additional Resources," below), though they do not necessarily have the appropriate functionality to create forms. Adobe Pro has the forms tool.
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Open the source document for which you want to create an interactive PDF form. In this example, a Microsoft Word document is used. Click once on the “File” drop-down menu and select the “Print” option. Choose the PDF writing option from the list of printers on the Print dialogue box and click once on the “Print” button. Choose a folder in which to save the PDF for which you want to create an interactive form using the “Save in” drop-down menu, and click once on the “Save” button.
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Launch your PDF writing software and open the PDF file for which you want to create an interactive form. If you just created the PDF, it may have launched automatically, depending on your print settings. If not, click once on the “File” drop-down menu and select the “Open” option. Use the “Look in” drop-down menu to select the folder to which the PDF was saved, click once on the file and then once on the “Open” button.
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Click once on the “Tools” drop-down menu, once on “Forms,” and select the type of tool you want to use for the form. In this example, a “Text Field Tool” is used. Please note that you can use multiple tools within one document.
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Click once in the area where you want the “Form Tool” to be placed, and drag it to the appropriate size while holding down the mouse button. You can adjust the size of most tools, whether they are fields or buttons, by clicking on one of the small squares around the box and dragging to the appropriate size while holding down the mouse button.
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Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each interactive section you want to create within the document. As mentioned in Step 4, different “Form Tools” may be used within one document.
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Save your document under a name that differs from the original in order to distinguish it as the interactive form. The form is now ready to be distributed.
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Comments
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very much....
