Produce the statutory financial report, certify and lock the final [pdf=PDF] with tamper-evident settings, and save th…
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.
Making forms in Microsoft Word often creates problems when you convert them to PDF, as Word's form tools don't export accessible PDF fields correctly. Acrobat's 'Prepare a Form' tool is designed specifically for creating fillable PDF forms with proper accessibility features. It's best to create your form structure in Word and then add all the interactive fields using Acrobat for the best results and accessibility.
Running the Accessibility Checker helps you find and fix problems that might make your form hard for some people to use. It checks for things like missing labels or incorrect tab order. This ensures your form is usable by everyone, including those who use assistive technologies like screen readers, making it more inclusive and professional.
Yes, you can use 'Prepare a Form' with a scanned document. Acrobat will try to detect form fields even in scanned files. However, it works best if the scanned document is clear and easy to read. You might need to add more fields manually or adjust the ones Acrobat finds to make sure they are correct and accessible.
Reader Extended PDF options let people who only have the free Adobe Reader program save the information they type into your form. Without this, Reader users can fill out the form but cannot save their changes. It's important to use this feature if you want people to fill out your form and send it back to you with their data saved.