Creating an Editable PDF?

[klmhicks@adobeforums.com]

<FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>Can someone direct me to where I may find directions on how to create an editable PDF. I have never done this before. <BR>
<BR>
I am taking existing mac files from Illustrator, Freehand and Photoshop assuming I am bringing them into Illustrator creating a universal PDF that offsite companies can edit and fill in time/location appropriate information.<BR>
<BR>
Thanks for your help,<BR>
Kathy</SPAN></FONT>

[pgary@adobeforums.com]

Kim;

I'm assuming you have either Illustrator CS or CS2, so the instructions following pertain to those versions. Once your file is completed in Illustrator and saved, now select the Save As from the File menu. A dialogue box will ask you where you want to save it. At the bottom of this box is a pull-down menu. Select Adobe PDF and Save. A second dialogue box appears with a variety of options. Select the compatibility version of the PDF you want, along with Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities and any other feature you require. You can also assign additional features or options with the menu located on the left hand side of this box, such as security, press features, etc. Click Save and you are done.

To edit in Acrobat, your offsite companies will require Photoshop and Illustrator as well as the same fonts used in the original document. Also, a PDF edited in Illustrator is never a sure thing since font structure (i.e paragraphs, carriage returns, etc) may change and require more extensive editing or re-typing to preserve formatting. That's why most users will tell you that it is easier to edit the original (if you have it) than using Acrobat for major text editing. For general use, Acrobat is OK.

Cheers.

[Aandi_Inston@adobeforums.com]

Will all the end users of the form own Acrobat (not just the free
Reader)?

After the form has been changed, what do you want the end users to be
able to do? Save? Print? Email?

Aandi Inston

[pgary@adobeforums.com]

Kim;

When you asked to have PDFs editable, I was assuming this was for the graphic content. If this is a form and you are strictly filling in form fields, then a number of questions need to be addressed. Which version of Acrobat is creating the form? Is the form being completed by your end-users using Acrobat full version or Acrobat Reader? is the data being returned to you, shared between these companies (do you need the full form returned or just the data)?.

[klmhicks@adobeforums.com]

<FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>Thanks for all your rapid response. I do apologize for my ignorance in this, as I have never attempted this before and need a starting point.<BR>
<BR>
They will have the standard reader – as far as I know. I am not in direct contact with the client, this is through an agency.<BR>
<BR>
I need areas to where each location can add their relative information. Such as address, location, contact info in addition to &nbsp;minor product information so no graphic content, just text. These would be open areas and not fields to fill in. If fields are necessary where do I begin with that and does the end user need to use a specific Acrobat Reader or do they need more than just the reader. As I understand this, they want to use the reader available to them without additional purchase if this is possible.<BR>
<BR>
Please advise, thanks,<BR>
Kathy<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT><BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>Kim;<BR>
<BR>
When you asked to have PDFs editable, I was assuming this was for the graphic content. If this is a form and you are strictly filling in form fields, then a number of questions need to be addressed. Which version of Acrobat is creating the form? Is the form being completed by your end-users using Acrobat full version or Acrobat Reader? is the data being returned to you, shared between these companies (do you need the full form returned or just the data)?.<BR>
</SPAN></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'><BR>
</SPAN></FONT>

[Aandi_Inston@adobeforums.com]

>They will have the standard reader as far as I know.

Ok, this is very important. The free software is naturally limited so
you need to know what Reader can and can't do.

>I need areas to where each location can add their relative information.

Form fields, I guess.

> These would be open areas and not fields to fill in.

Why do you say that?

> If fields are necessary where do I begin with that

There are forms tools on the Advanced Editing toolbar.

You didn't answer this: "After the form has been changed, what do you
want the end users to be able to do? Save? Print? Email?"

This may seem a trivial detail, but it's the difference between us
giving you good advice and getting completely stuck.

Aandi Inston

[klmhicks@adobeforums.com]

<FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>Sorry for the “not answered questions” I am trying to figure out this large stack of stuff sitting here in front of me and a bit overwhelmed at this point. The files are created in AI, FH and PS and I am trying to find the smoothest path for all of this.<BR>
<BR>
I will state that the most recent Reader is required. Where do I find out the limitations to the Readers?<BR>
<BR>
Form Fields would be more of a paragraph style box so that any information can go in the designated area. Would this be considered a field if it is several lines deep?<BR>
<BR>
They want to be able to Save, Print in house and Print with a quick print shop.<BR>
<BR>
I realize these are not trivial, I am not savvy enough in editable PDFs to ask the correct questions as this point. Thank you all for pointing me in the right direction.<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>&gt;They will have the standard reader as far as I know.<BR>
<BR>
Ok, this is very important. The free software is naturally limited so<BR>
you need to know what Reader can and can't do.<BR>
<BR>
&gt;I need areas to where each location can add their relative information. <BR>
<BR>
Form fields, I guess.<BR>
<BR>
&gt; These would be open areas and not fields to fill in.<BR>
<BR>
Why do you say that?<BR>
<BR>
&gt; If fields are necessary where do I begin with that <BR>
<BR>
There are forms tools on the Advanced Editing toolbar.<BR>
<BR>
You didn't answer this: &quot;After the form has been changed, what do you<BR>
want the end users to be able to do? Save? Print? Email?&quot;<BR>
<BR>
This may seem a trivial detail, but it's the difference between us<BR>
giving you good advice and getting completely stuck.<BR>
<BR>
Aandi Inston<BR>
</SPAN></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'><BR>
</SPAN></FONT>

[pgary@adobeforums.com]

Kim;

You've provided some initial good information, but I would agree with Aandi. How they use the forms, with which Acrobat product and the end results are crucial as to how you use the form features.

The long and short of forms is if they have the full version Acrobat, it is easier (that's how Adobe has set it up). That being said, you can use Adobe Reader to fill out fields (you can have a "box" with several lines deep). The Advanced Editing Toolbar has a Forms Toolbar. You can use the Text Field Tool for all your text box sizes. I'm afraid the user forum is to limited to give you a primer on how to do forms with Acrobat. I recommend Ted Padova's excellent book "Creating Acrobat Forms" as a well researched reference.

Not to leave you in a lurch here; your clients can fill out forms made in Acrobat with the Adobe Reader. Once they've completed the form, they will not be able to save the data as an editable form, but they can save the information by re-printing the form using the Print command and printing it as a PDF. This will give them an "image" PDF which they can print and email but not extract the data (since its an image).

Starting with Acrobat 7.0.5, you can also assign the Typewriter Tool feature to your Acrobat Form so that users of Adobe Reader 7.0.5 on can use the tool to fill out text without resorting to form fields. Here's Adobe's link to the Tool:

<http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/332263.html>

Let me know if this works for you and to not hesitate to ask questions about forms. Its a great feature but does require some practice.

Cheers.

[klmhicks@adobeforums.com]

<FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>Thank You Very Much! All the information provided by everyone here had been a great help especially since I have to have all of this done next week. I Will buy a book that covers this and work from there also. Again, thanks so much for all your input and willingness to help.<BR>
Kathy<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT><BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>Creating Acrobat Forms<BR>
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[sws@adobeforums.com]

With the release of Acrobat 8.0 the author of a document can enable usage rights. This includes extending a document so that, if a Reader user has filled out form data, the PDF with the form data can be saved. In Acrobat 8.0 Professional, go to Advanced > Enable Usage Rights... Check out the dialog that is displayed. It gives a brief but decent description of this feature.

[klmhicks@adobeforums.com]

<FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>I was just looking at Acrobat Pro 8, as I have 7 now. I was hoping to wait to upgrade when I upgraded the entire CS2 Suite to CS3. But if it is a big difference and will help in this matter I will seriously consider it. Are you working in 8?<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>With the release of Acrobat 8.0 the author of a document can enable usage rights. This includes extending a document so that, if a Reader user has filled out form data, the PDF with the form data can be saved. In Acrobat 8.0 Professional, go to Advanced &gt; Enable Usage Rights... Check out the dialog that is displayed. It gives a brief but decent description of this feature.<BR>
</SPAN></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'><BR>
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[pgary@adobeforums.com]

Actually, if you require the data (which from your earlier post may not be a requirement) you can do this in Acrobat Pro 7.0.8. Under the Advanced>Forms>Initiate Data File Collection Workflow, you can set this up with a Submit button on your form, a method for your clients to send you completed forms. Unfortunately, the Reader user cannot save this information and must still print to PDF to retain a copy of the displayed information.

I recently published a newsletter article describing in detail the process and its uses. If you would like a copy, simply e-mail me and I'll be happy to provide you with the newsletter free of charge.

Cheers.

[Jon Bessant]

Be a little careful if you save an Illustrator file as a PDF with the
editing capabilities since it appends piece information into the
resultant PDF file. In other words, a bloated PDF with hidden
information for only Illustrator to use.

I would recommend performing a *special* PDF save without the editing
capabilities to reduce file size (after the normal save WITH editing
capabilities)

Jon

[klmhicks@adobeforums.com]

<FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>Could you expand on this “special” PDF, I’m not sure I follow you here. Are you saying just reduce the file size?<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>Be a little careful if you save an Illustrator file as a PDF with the <BR>
editing capabilities since it appends piece information into the <BR>
resultant PDF file. In other words, a bloated PDF with hidden <BR>
information for only Illustrator to use.<BR>
<BR>
I would recommend performing a *special* PDF save without the editing <BR>
capabilities to reduce file size (after the normal save WITH editing <BR>
capabilities)<BR>
<BR>
Jon<BR>
</SPAN></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'><BR>
</SPAN></FONT>

[klmhicks@adobeforums.com]

<FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>Pgary, I tried to email you and it bounced it back. I would really appreciate your newsletter, I can use all the help I can get. Thank you very much for such a generous offer.<BR>
Kathy<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>Actually, if you require the data (which from your earlier post may not be a requirement) you can do this in Acrobat Pro 7.0.8. Under the Advanced&gt;Forms&gt;Initiate Data File Collection Workflow, you can set this up with a Submit button on your form, a method for your clients to send you completed forms. Unfortunately, the Reader user cannot save this information and must still print to PDF to retain a copy of the displayed information.<BR>
<BR>
I recently published a newsletter article describing in detail the process and its uses. If you would like a copy, simply e-mail me and I'll be happy to provide you with the newsletter free of charge.<BR>
<BR>
Cheers.<BR>
</SPAN></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'><BR>
</SPAN></FONT>

[drdocument@adobeforums.com]

Hi, Kim.

Reading through this thread and trying to get a sense of what you really want to do, I'm still unclear.

It sounds like you want to do something like, for example, create a standardized master display ad for a company with branch offices, and then enable each branch to customize its local info (address, hours, phone numbers) for use in local publications using the free Reader, with the localized info formatted consistent with the overall ad.

Is that close?

It sounds like that might be possible using form fields in Acrobat Pro 8, provided the formatting of the form fields can be made to remain consistent.

Another possibility (although I haven't tried it) might be to somehow link the variable content to an external text file named "Local_Info" which could accompany the PDF and then the external text file could be edited locally to provide the desired content in the localized PDF.

Just a couple ideas.

Ken

[Jon Bessant]

Yes - the PDF Optimiser under the ADVANCED menu in Acrobat 7/8
Professioanl can remove Piece information from Illustrator ....

The reason I mentioned this particular area is the potential file size
bloat ...

Jon

[pgary]

Kim;

The e-mail I provided should have worked. I'll be talking to my IS provider to see if there are any issues. In the meantime, I've set my user preferences differently for this site's forum. Please try again and let me know if you continue to have problems.

Cheers.

[James_Talmage@adobeforums.com]

Kim,

1. Create your design in AI, FH, PS, whatever. In the layout, leave room for the individual recipients' contact info (we'll call this the imprint area). Save or Export a PDF.

2. Open the PDf in Acrobat 8 Professional. Use the Forms toolbar's text field tool to add text field(s) in the imprint area. You can doubleClick a field to set its attributes. (Recommend using separate fields for name, address, phone, web address, etc., arranged in a vertical column. Reason is, you probably can't predict the length of each recipient's name (or address), so you'll want to set the name field's text size to Auto. That will cause the size of the name's text to change so as to allow the whole name to appear in the bounds of the field.) Go ahead and enter default values in the fields like "EnterYourNameHere", "EnterYourPhoneHere", etc.

3. From the Advanced menu, select Enable Reader Usage Rights. That will enable the PDF to be saved by Reader versions 7 or newer.

Your recipients can now open the form (any PDF with an editable field is considered a "form") using Reader, enter their text in the fields, and then save the PDF with their edits surviving.

JET

[klmhicks@adobeforums.com]

<FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>Yep, that’s it. They post these files on their website and the branch offices download and input their information.<BR>
<BR>
Could this just be done as a text edit if I insert where the information is to change? As in (insert address, date, etc) or am In thinking too primary here.<BR>
<BR>
Thanks!<BR>
Kathy<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>Hi, Kim.<BR>
<BR>
Reading through this thread and trying to get a sense of what you really want to do, I'm still unclear.<BR>
<BR>
It sounds like you want to do something like, for example, create a standardized master display ad for a company with branch offices, and then enable each branch to customize its local info (address, hours, phone numbers) for use in local publications using the free Reader, with the localized info formatted consistent with the overall ad.<BR>
<BR>
Is that close?<BR>
<BR>
It sounds like that might be possible using form fields in Acrobat Pro 8, provided the formatting of the form fields can be made to remain consistent.<BR>
<BR>
Another possibility (although I haven't tried it) might be to somehow link the variable content to an external text file named &quot;Local_Info&quot; which could accompany the PDF and then the external text file could be edited locally to provide the desired content in the localized PDF.<BR>
<BR>
Just a couple ideas.<BR>
<BR>
Ken<BR>
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