What is a PDF form?

Most people are familiar with PDF files, but did you know that you can also turn a PDF file into a form that can be filled-in online? A PDF form could work the same way as any form that you may have filled-in on the web - just click, type in your info into the fields, and submit.

Why use a PDF Form?

Anyone who has experienced designing a form in HTML knows that it can be a challenge. Creating the layout can be time-consuming, and it will never look exactly like the printed version. PDF forms have all of the functionality of an HTML form, such as submitting data to a database or populating a PDF form from a database.

PDF forms have the following advantages:

• can be created using any page layout software from Microsoft Word to Adobe Illustrator, then converted to PDF;
• can be made to look exactly like the printed version of the form, therefore making them more appealing to clients who may be reluctant to fill-in an online form;
• can be created using existing scanned paper forms;
• are easily printable;
• are easily updated;
• allow data to be processed using any Web programming language such ASP or CFML;
• can be filled-in using the free Acrobat Reader software.

Where can I see an example of a PDF Form?

We are often asked this question, so we decided to put an example on our Web site for you to try out. >> click here to try a PDF Form (requires Acrobat Reader 5.0).

Simply fill-in the form and submit the data! The form was created in MS Word, converted to PDF using PDFMaker (which comes with Acrobat 5.0), the form fields were created using Acrobat 5.0, and the Web programming was done in ASP.

Need PDF Forms?

Documédia cDocumédia can help you introduce PDF forms into your environment for both intranet and Internet sites. We can create and implement PDF forms from beginning to completion, or we can train your staff to do it themselves. We tailor our services to your specific needs. Please contact us if you have any questions or to discuss how we can help.

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