Forms Basics - Adobe 22002420 - Acrobat Standard - PC User Manual

• Save and email the form (if enabled by the form creator).
• Print and mail the form.
To return a noninteractive form, do one of the following:
2
• If you filled in the form with the Typewriter tool, print and mail the form.
• Print the form, fill it in by hand, and mail it.
See also
"Fill in and clear a form" on page 186

Forms basics

What are PDF forms?
You're already familiar with paper forms: documents with blanks that people fill in and deliver to the appropriate
person or organization. An Adobe PDF form is a computer-based version of a form, which can either be distributed
through email or CDs, or published on a website.
PDF forms can be ordinary PDFs with blank form fields or they can be interactive. Ordinary PDFs are a convenient
way of publishing forms that must be printed, filled out by hand, and physically delivered, such as by mail or fax. An
interactive form can be filled out on a computer and may be submitted through an Internet or local network
connection. The built-in security features can safeguard the privacy of electronically submitted data.
Interactive forms simplify the work users must do to provide the needed information. Electronically submitted forms
can be labor-saving at the receiving end, too, because the data from many individuals can be set up to be collated
automatically.
Note: You cannot create forms using Acrobat Standard. You can use Adobe LiveCycle Designer (Windows), Acrobat
Professional, or Acrobat 3D to create forms. For information on these products, choose Help > Acrobat Online to visit
the Adobe Acrobat website.
Viewing a PDF form
When you open a form that someone sends you to fill out, a document message bar appears between the Acrobat
toolbars and the form itself.
The left side of the message bar typically displays instructions about how to complete and return the form. If you
open the form in Adobe Reader, the usage rights associated with that form are also described in this area. You can
hide or show the document message bar by clicking its button
The right side of the message bar has one or more buttons. The first is a Highlight Fields button
backgrounds of all blanks to be filled in and outlines any required blanks, making it easy to see them at a glance.
You navigate and adjust views of a form in exactly the same way that you do in ordinary PDFs.
Note: You can change the default settings for highlight color, whether forms open with the document message bar visible
or hidden, and other viewing options in the forms preferences. Choose Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Acrobat >
Preferences (Mac OS), and select Forms under Categories.
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ADOBE ACROBAT 8 STANDARD
User Guide
, which colors the
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