John Jason Jordan
18 years ago
When Adobe came out with Adobe Reader 7.0 they included the ability to
fill in PDF forms. The user can type into blanks in the form and then
print it out. However, the user cannot save a copy of the edited form.
At the same time that this feature was added to Reader, Acrobat was
enhanced to add the ability to create editable PDF files.
I can create editable PDF files with OpenOffice.org Writer. I have
opened them in Adobe Reader 7.08 on my Ubuntu amd-64 Dapper laptop and
I can edit the forms. I can also print them, but I cannot save them.
However, I have a workaround for the latter problem –- CUPS-PDF
printer. I have installed it and now I can create a PDF file from any
application that can print, including Adobe Reader.
There is an equivalent to CUPS-PDF printer on Windows, called
PDF-Creator. I haven’t checked it out, but it is free from sourceforge.
As for Macs, all modern Macs come with the ability to print to file as
a PDF. It’s built into the OS.
My goal is to create homework files as editable PDFs. The student can
fill them out, print to CUPS-PDF printer or to PDF Creator, and e-mail
the results back to the professor. Fast, simple, no paper, and the
professor can actually read the student’s work because there is no
handwriting. This is ideal for distance education. This could be really
cool because in OOo you can make the editable field a blank to type
into, a radio button, a drop-down list, or any of several other types
of controls. What a cool tool for creating exams, quizzes and homework
assignments!
However, there are some gaps and questions:
1) Macintosh users. Adobe Reader 7.0 for Mac can fill out editable PDF
forms the same as the Linux and Windows versions. But I don’t have a
Mac so I can’t test the built in print-to-PDF utility. I bet the reason
Adobe Reader can’t save a copy of the edited file is a DRM issue, in
which case I bet the built in print-to-PDF utility won’t work if the
file is an edited PDF. Being the owner of an iPod it would not surprise
me if Apple included that restriction. Are there any Mac owners here
who might know?
2) I can do it on Linux with Adobe Reader 7.08, but doing so is a pain.
Adobe Reader does not have a drop-down printer selection box in it
print dialog box in the Linux version. You have to type in an lpr
command. Thus, every time I want to print to a new PDF file I have to
change the command that says it is to print to my laserjet. And then
when I want to print to the laserjet, I have to retype the command
again. To get around this I tried Kpdf, evince, and Xpdf. All of them
have a proper printer selection drop-down window, but none of them can
edit the editable PDF file. Are there other PDF viewers that might be
better than these three?
fill in PDF forms. The user can type into blanks in the form and then
print it out. However, the user cannot save a copy of the edited form.
At the same time that this feature was added to Reader, Acrobat was
enhanced to add the ability to create editable PDF files.
I can create editable PDF files with OpenOffice.org Writer. I have
opened them in Adobe Reader 7.08 on my Ubuntu amd-64 Dapper laptop and
I can edit the forms. I can also print them, but I cannot save them.
However, I have a workaround for the latter problem –- CUPS-PDF
printer. I have installed it and now I can create a PDF file from any
application that can print, including Adobe Reader.
There is an equivalent to CUPS-PDF printer on Windows, called
PDF-Creator. I haven’t checked it out, but it is free from sourceforge.
As for Macs, all modern Macs come with the ability to print to file as
a PDF. It’s built into the OS.
My goal is to create homework files as editable PDFs. The student can
fill them out, print to CUPS-PDF printer or to PDF Creator, and e-mail
the results back to the professor. Fast, simple, no paper, and the
professor can actually read the student’s work because there is no
handwriting. This is ideal for distance education. This could be really
cool because in OOo you can make the editable field a blank to type
into, a radio button, a drop-down list, or any of several other types
of controls. What a cool tool for creating exams, quizzes and homework
assignments!
However, there are some gaps and questions:
1) Macintosh users. Adobe Reader 7.0 for Mac can fill out editable PDF
forms the same as the Linux and Windows versions. But I don’t have a
Mac so I can’t test the built in print-to-PDF utility. I bet the reason
Adobe Reader can’t save a copy of the edited file is a DRM issue, in
which case I bet the built in print-to-PDF utility won’t work if the
file is an edited PDF. Being the owner of an iPod it would not surprise
me if Apple included that restriction. Are there any Mac owners here
who might know?
2) I can do it on Linux with Adobe Reader 7.08, but doing so is a pain.
Adobe Reader does not have a drop-down printer selection box in it
print dialog box in the Linux version. You have to type in an lpr
command. Thus, every time I want to print to a new PDF file I have to
change the command that says it is to print to my laserjet. And then
when I want to print to the laserjet, I have to retype the command
again. To get around this I tried Kpdf, evince, and Xpdf. All of them
have a proper printer selection drop-down window, but none of them can
edit the editable PDF file. Are there other PDF viewers that might be
better than these three?