As many of you know it is a big pet peeve of mine when someone posts a PDF form on their website for others to download and fill out (gasp) "by hand!"
After all, I'm already on my computer! Shouldn't I be able to type on the form to fill it out? Why should I have to use my crapy handwriting?

Now I don't get as upset as I used to because Acrobat 7 Professional (maybe Standard too and previous full versions) has this nifty tool call the "Typewriter" tool. Simply Choose Typewriter from the Tools menu and you'll be able to click your cursor anywhere on the PDF you have open and be able to type right on it. No need to create form fields. Because you are using the full version of Acrobat you'll also be able to save the PDF with your typewritten data and of course print it out.

Thanks for this tip! I am so tired of modifying other people's PDFs to have form fields just to fill them out.

You can do the same thing in Acrobat 6 Standard, but not with such a straightforward menu command.
1. Locate the Touchup Text Tool (Tools/Advanced Editing/Touchup Text Tool)
2. OPTION-click the place where you want to add new text (not "touchup" existing text).
Acrobat will open the "New Text Font" dialogue, which allows selection of the font, but not other features, such as size or style.

It's a little rugged (If you can move the new text box, I haven't figured it out. "Select object" tool doesn't do anything.), but is better than nothing.

Another more-lengthy work-around is to import the pdf into a page layout app such as InDesign, then use text boxes to "fill in the blanks."

Mary, in Acrobat 6 wouldn't it be easier to use the Text Box tool? The Touch Up Tool is really designed for touching up text as opposed to adding new text.

Also I just learned that the Typewriter Tool made its debut in Acrobat 7.0.5.

Text box tool works, but defaults to a box with solid fill color (yellow when I tried it). The Advanced Editing/Select Object tool can be used to change the box border & color and fill can be "none" - transparent. But the method I described is a simple transparent text entry and doesn't require the "fix." (I looked at Preferences to see if Text Box could be set to default to a transparent box, but couldn't locate.)

HOWEVER, the Text box tool creates boxes that can be moved, whereas Option-clicking with the Text Touchup tool creates text that can't be moved (unless I'm missing something.)

I have Reader 7.0.7 and no such tool is available.

Do I understand correctly that it would cost $100 to upgrade to the Standard version of Acrobat ($300 for the Full version) to obtain a Typewriter tool?

I fill out about 2 such forms a year. Is there a more economical way of doing this?

Print 'em out and write on 'em.

You can do it in the reader *if* who ever created the PDF sets it so the typewriter is available, just like with comments. If they don't, you need the full product. You might look around for third-party programs to manipulate PDFs. The only ones I found with a quick search were around $100 themselves, though.

I agree with Jack that there's no point in spending the price of full Acrobat just to do a couple of forms a year. (I like Acrobat for some other uses as well, but that's a different discussion.) Also, it requires Acrobat Professional - the more expensive version - to create forms. Standard won't do it. (I think Acrobat 5 does forms. After that the 2 versions of Acrobat - Standard & Professional - were issued.)

2 comments:
1. Some forms may be prepared so that you can fill them out with Reader. Example: I needed a sales tax-related form from the State. Downloaded the pdf, and filled it out on the computer. No smoke & mirrors.

2. If you want a form to look particularly clean rather than handwritten, you can import the pdf into a dtp app (InDesign, etc) and create text boxes where info goes.
You can do the same thing with Appleworks: Import the pdf, option-click to create a free-floating text box for the info and enter it. If the text box doesn't position quite right on the first try, keep it and move it into place with the arrow tool.

quote:

Originally posted by Keith:
I have Reader 7.0.7 and no such tool is available.

Do I understand correctly that it would cost $100 to upgrade to the Standard version of Acrobat ($300 for the Full version) to obtain a Typewriter tool?

I fill out about 2 such forms a year. Is there a more economical way of doing this?

Curiously, within the last 24 hours I have received another PDF form that I have to fill out, and a solicitation to purchase an application called PDFpen by SmileOnMyMac for $40. Against my parsimonious nature, I bought it.

Thanks Terry. Typing on PDF forms with Acro 7 is a cool tip for anyone who has CS2.

Hal N.