Create fillable PDF forms – with Acrobat and free software

PDF (short for Portable Document Format) is probably one of the most popular file formats in most offices – thanks to its obvious advantages: It can contain pages of text and dozens of images, yet the file size remains relatively small, allowing PDF files to be sent quickly and easily via e-mail or the cloud. In addition, PDFs ensure that documents are reproduced true to the original on any device, without compromising the presentation or formatting.

Forms are also an integral part of everyday working life: Be it simple participant lists for conferences, application and registration forms, or complex invoices and financial overviews – forms regulate processes, record information, and help to create an overview.

Using PDF forms can significantly reduce the amount of paper used in the office, since they can be filled out directly on the PC. This is much faster and less error-prone than manually entering information. In addition, it is easier to share, analyze, and archive digital documents with customers or colleagues.

We explain how you can create interactive PDF forms.

The reason why Word cannot be used to create fillable PDF forms is simply because the existing file formats of Microsoft and Adobe are not fully compatible, and the two companies are unlikely to be able to resolve the problem quickly. Therefore, application forms and surveys designed with the Microsoft application and saved in PDF format are only suitable for printing out on paper and filling out by hand. Under these circumstances, however, you can just as easily forego the interactive input fields and create a table with empty cells instead. For simple attendance lists, this is certainly sufficient, but for more complex projects, this solution leaves much to be desired.

Although it is possible to create a fillable PDF completely free of charge, some users still swear by the professional, albeit costly standard solution: Adobe Acrobat.

This may be due to the fact that not every customer or colleague has an MS Office license or wants to use OpenOffice or LibreOffice. In addition, Adobe offers some special features that the competition cannot keep up with. The most outstanding feature is the automatic and surprisingly reliable recognition feature: form fields in digital files and even scanned paper documents can be recognized. With Adobe software, you can even convert your MS Word form into a fillable PDF.

This is how it works:

1. In the toolbar, click on “Forms” “Start Form Wizard” (the procedure and menu names can vary greatly from version to version; our instructions refer to Adobe Acrobat 9).
    
2. In the newly-opened window, select the source of your form. Acrobat can open existing electronic forms (PDF, Word, Excel, and many other formats) as well as convert scanned paper documents into a form (alternatively, you can create a completely new form using templates).
    
3. The form wizard automatically recognizes all static form fields and names them according to the text surrounding them. This process happens in an instant and has a high success rate. It can also happen that Acrobat forgets a field or misinterprets a visual separator as a signature field. In this case, you can quickly correct the error by inserting, moving, or deleting form elements yourself.

Apart from this practical tool, the selection and functionality of the tools in Adobe Acrobat are very similar to those in MS Word, OpenOffice, and LibreOffice: Text fields, check boxes, option, list fields, combination fields, and buttons can be conveniently arranged using the crosshair display and configured by double-clicking.

In addition, the program offers interesting additional functions, some of which are described in more detail below:

• Fill out interactive forms faster by using the tab key to go from input field to input field instead of clicking on each element individually. In Adobe Acrobat, you can set the tab order to make this process as efficient as possible.
   
• In combination with Adobe Sign, it is possible to add a field for a digital signature to the forms.
   
• Another tool in Acrobat is the barcode field. This automatically converts all form entries into a unique barcode that can be read and interpreted with the appropriate hardware. This facilitates the analysis and archiving of forms when they are returned to you in paper form by mail or fax.
   
• Finished PDF forms can also be distributed to customers and colleagues via e-mail or an internal server using Adobe Acrobat. The program also makes it possible to track the feedback status and send automatic reminders in the event of missed appointments.

Adobe offers extensive tutorials for all additional functions on its website. There is also a free trial version of Adobe Acrobat, which is valid for 14 days and enables you to create and edit PDFs and resize documents of this file type.

There are numerous alternatives to Adobe Acrobat with similar functions. However, creating fillable PDF forms is usually only possible in the Pro versions of these programs (e.g. Qoppa PDF Studio, PDF-XChange Editor) or in fee-based trialware (e.g. Foxit Phantom PDF, Nitro Pro).

Interactive PDF forms reduce paper waste and are also easy and quick to create. With Microsoft Office, however, you can only do the preliminary design work. To properly make a fillable PDF, you need Adobe Acrobat or an alternative program. But if you don't want to spend money on it, you can also use the free OpenOffice suite instead of the expensive Adobe solution. The free software also delivers satisfactory results that can be read and filled out with almost any PDF reader.