Tutorial: Creating and distributing fillable PDF forms

created by Randy Swineford on Oct 6, 2012 10:35 PM, last modified by Randy Swineford on May 18, 2013 1:09 PM
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    FormsCentral allows you to create, distribute and collect data using fillable PDF forms. When you distribute your form as a PDF respondents will be able to:

    • Fill out and save forms offline, then submit when back online
    • Fill out the form little by little over several hours/days, then submit when completed
    • Forward the PDF form to other people to fill out different sections of the form then submit when completed
    • Keep the filled out PDF form for their records
    • Print a copy of the PDF form

     

    Note: You need a paid (Basic or Plus) account in order to use this feature.

     

    The Page View mode in the design tab shows how the form will be laid out across pages when saved to PDF. You can access the page view mode by selecting it in the lower right corner of the UI:

    CreatePDF-PageView-ZoomOnChanger.PNG

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    Based on the paper size chosen (File menu -> Form Setup), page view mode will automatically break the fields up into pages.

    CreatePDF-PageView-ImplicitPageBreak.PNG

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    You can also define your own custom page breaks within page view by clicking the new page button on the item toolbar

    CreatePDF-PageView-ExplicitPageBreak.PNG

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    Note: Page breaks created in the Web View do not show up in Page View – each view has its own independent page breaks. This allows you to better optimize your form pagination based on the form type (web vs PDF)

     

    Once you have setup your form go to the Distribute tab to distribute the PDF form.

    CreatePDF-Distribute.PNG

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    Save Submission-Enabled PDF - This will save out a fillable PDF form that contains a Submit button at the bottom of the form. Respondents can fill out the form, click submit and all of their data will appear in the FormsCentral response table.

     

    Note: You can distribute both a web form and fillable PDF form at the same time - the options are not mutually exclusive. All of the submitted data from both will appear in the response table.

     

    If you want to save out a fillable PDF form that does not contain a Submit button (the data will NOT be collected using FormsCentral) then go to the File menu and select the Save as PDF Form menu item. You will be asked if you want to collect responses or not using FormsCentral. Select "Don't Collect Responses" - this option is focused at users who just want a PDF form that can be sent around in email, filled out and then managed like a document.

     

    CreatePDF-FileMenuSave.PNG

     

    The fillable PDF forms created using FormsCentral allow Adobe Reader users to fill out the form, save the file locally and submit their data. Your respondents only need Adobe Reader or Acrobat (versions 8.0 or later)

     

    Note: If your respondents cannot submit the PDF or are having issues while filling out the form they probably are not using the Adobe Reader/Acrobat. Read this FAQ for more info: http://forums.adobe.com/docs/DOC-2653

     

    PDF forms do have a couple of limitations that prevent some of the FormsCentral features from working with them. PDF forms do not support these features (click here for more info):

    • Page Skip Logic
    • Question Skip Logic
    • Redirect URLs
    • Payment Processing
    • Attachments