Adobe® Creative Suite® 5 Bible

Chapter 27. Working with PDF Forms

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Defining PDF forms

• Understanding forms editing

• Auto creation of PDF forms

• Getting familiar with form fields

• Setting field properties

• Managing fields

• Distributing forms

Acrobat PDF forms and HTML forms are the most popular types of electronic forms in existence today. We're all familiar with HTML forms and most of us have filled out these kinds of forms when making online purchases. PDF forms are standardized in many industries such as government, education, and large business organizations. And most of us are also familiar with PDF forms like those used by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service for income tax preparation.

As a designer, you may be called upon to create PDF forms where your clients want to host the forms on Web sites, distribute forms on CD-ROMs, or use forms for electronic file exchanges.

With the marvelous design tools you have available in the Creative Suite and the use of Adobe Acrobat (Pro, Pro Extended, or Acrobat Standard edition), you have great opportunities to create attractive and powerful dynamic PDF forms.

What Are Acrobat Forms?

Forms in Acrobat are PDF files with data fields that appear as placeholders for user-supplied data. In Acrobat, you can use text string fields, numeric fields, check boxes, radio buttons, data fields, calculation fields, signature fields, and a variety of custom fields created with JavaScripts. The advantage of using forms in Acrobat is that doing so enables you to maintain design integrity ...