How to Create a PDF with Editable Fields

Create a fill-in form you can easily distribute electronically.

Portable Document Format (PDF) documents are the leading file type for storing accessible documents on the Internet. Many organizations and government offices use the PDF format to post forms and informational material. The PDF file type is popular because any user with a PDF-viewing program may open the document, and most readers are free to download. Forms in PDF format are practical because the information in the form fields can be downloaded to other programs such as spreadsheets for analysis and storage.

Instructions

Free Program

1. Download and install a free PDF-creating program on your computer. PDFill is one such program available for download (see link in Resources). Other free PDF-writing programs are available; make certain that any you choose includes form features. Specific instructions vary according to specific programs.

2. Launch the source program for the document from which you want to create a PDF with editable fields, for example Microsoft Word. Open the source file. In Word, select the “Open” option from the File menu to launch the Open window. Locate the folder to which the document is saved using the Look In menu. Click once on the file name and once on the “Open” button.

3. Select the “Print” option from the File menu to launch the “Print” window. Select the PDF program that you downloaded in Step 1 from the “Printer name” drop-down list and click once on the “Print” button. This will launch a “Save As” window. Type a name for the PDF file in the ‘Name” field and click once on the “Save” button to convert the source material to a PDF document.

4. Launch the PDF-writing program you installed. In PDFill, select the “Open New PDF Project” option from the File menu. Use the “Look In” menu to locate the folder to which you saved the PDF file from Step 3. Click once on the PDF file name and once on the “Open” button.

5. Click once on the “View” menu, click once on “Toolbars” and select the “Forms” toolbar. Click once on the “Text Form Field” button on the “Forms” toolbar, which has a lower case “a” and “b” on it. Click once in an area of the PDF document to which you want to add an editable field and drag the box to the appropriate size. A “Properties” box will pop up after you release the mouse button. Use the features on this window to modify the appearance of the form field and click once on the “OK” button.

6. Repeat Step 5 for each editable field that you want to insert into the PDF. Form fields can be moved by clicking once on the border and moving them to a different area of the document while holding down the mouse button. To edit a field, highlight it and click once on the “Edit” menu and select the “Edit Current Object’s Properties” option. This will launch the Properties window referenced in step 5. Save the PDF with editable fields using the “Save Project As” option under the “File” menu.

Fee-Based Program

1. Download and install a fee-based PDF creating program on to your computer. Adobe Acrobat Pro, for example, is filled with features, including form tools, but the regular download is somewhat costly at about $450. Prior to purchasing any PDF-writing program, make certain that it has the features appropriate for making editable fields as well as other features you need.

2. Launch the source program for the document from which you want to create a PDF with editable fields, for example Microsoft Word. Open the source file. In Word, select the “Open” option from the File menu to launch the Open window. Locate the folder to which the document is saved using the Look In menu. Click once on the file name and once on the “Open” button.

3. Select the “Print” option from the File menu to launch the Print window. Select the “Adobe PDF” option from the Printer Name drop-down list and click once on the “Print” button. This will launch a Save As window. Type a name for the PDF file in the "Name” field and click once on the “Save” button to convert the source material to a PDF document. Launch the Adobe Acrobat Pro program. Select the “Open” option from the File menu. Use the Look In menu to locate the folder to which you saved the PDF file from Step 3. Click once on the PDF file name and once on the “Open” button.

4. Click once on the “View” menu button and once on “Toolbars,” and select the Forms toolbar. Click once on the “Text Form Field” button on the Forms toolbar, which has a capital letter "T" on it. Double-click in an area of the PDF document to which you want to add an editable field. A small text box with a red border appears and a Text Field Properties window launches. Use the features on this window to modify the appearance of the form field. Click the “Close” button when you're finished.

5. Repeat Step 4 for each editable field that you want to insert into the PDF. Form fields can be moved by clicking once on the border and moving them to a different area of the document while holding down the mouse button. To edit a field, highlight it, right-click on the border and select the “Properties” option. This will launch the Text Field Properties window referenced in Step 5. Remember to save the PDF with editable fields using the “Save As” option under the File menu.

References

• PDFill: Help Section
• Adobe: Acrobat Help Page

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Adobe: Acrobat Pro Free Trial
• PDFill: Homepage