We lose time because every department submits requests in a different format and I end up normalizing them. Propose a …
Open Adobe Acrobat Pro on your computer.
Select the Tools tab.
Find and select Prepare Form under Forms.
Choose an existing file to use as your form, or select the option to create a new one.
Best practiceIf your form is not already a PDF, convert it to PDF before starting this process.
Click Start to let Acrobat detect form fields automatically, or manually add fields as needed.
Best practiceLetting Acrobat auto-detect fields can save time, but always review and adjust the detected fields for accuracy.
Use the toolbar to add, move, or delete form fields such as text boxes, checkboxes, and drop-down lists.
Double-click any form field to edit its properties, such as name, tooltip, and appearance.
When finished, use File > Save to save your fillable PDF form.
You can quickly test your form by switching to Preview mode in the Prepare Form tool to see how users will fill it out.
This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.
Enabling 'Reader Extended PDF' allows users who only have the free Adobe Reader to fill out and save the form. Without this, Reader users can fill the form but cannot save their entered data, which can be frustrating and make the form unusable for them.
Yes, you can scan a paper form and use Acrobat's 'Prepare a form' tool. Acrobat will try to automatically detect fields on the scanned document. However, it's often better to start with a digital document if possible, as scanned forms might require more manual adjustment to add and position fields correctly for the best results.
You should avoid Word's form tools because they do not export to accessible PDF fields. This means the form fields created in Word will not work correctly or be accessible to users with disabilities when converted to PDF. It is best to create the form fields directly in Acrobat for full functionality and accessibility.