{"id":165,"date":"2013-11-14T00:57:42","date_gmt":"2013-11-14T08:57:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regroove.ca\/oh365eh\/?p=165"},"modified":"2023-02-24T20:45:59","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T20:45:59","slug":"the-truth-about-saving-a-fillable-forms-as-a-pdf-with-editable-form-fields-in-microsoft-word","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regroove.ca\/oh365eh\/2013\/11\/14\/the-truth-about-saving-a-fillable-forms-as-a-pdf-with-editable-form-fields-in-microsoft-word\/","title":{"rendered":"The Truth About Saving a Fillable Form as a PDF with Editable Form Fields in Microsoft Word"},"content":{"rendered":"

During a Business Requirements meeting with an existing client (who is considering moving to Office 365), a business challenge surfaced that piqued my interest.<\/p>\n

The Executive Director of the not-for-profit mentioned she was having to outsource the creation and updating of the organization’s intake forms. The multi-step process was an obvious waste of time and resources that could be focused in other areas.<\/p>\n

The editable PDF forms<\/strong> were built and maintained using Adobe Acrobat<\/strong>, which she did not presently own (or have access to) a copy of. She was also not familiar with the Adobe program interface, which meant she expected that she would not only have to invest money in purchasing a license, but also invest her time learning how to use the new software.<\/p>\n

Eager to be helpful, the wheels started turning to see if\u00a0I could resolve her quandary using the tools she already owned and was comfortable with. Hence the following question arose:<\/p>\n

If you can create and edit PDFs in Microsoft Word…<\/strong><\/p>\n

… then can you create fillable forms in Microsoft Word that can be saved as a PDF with editable form fields?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

My saunter down the rabbit hole of online forums and blog posts led to the following conclusion:<\/p>\n

In order to create a fillable PDF form, you must have Adobe Acrobat.<\/strong> Yes, you can create fillable forms<\/a> in Microsoft Word 2010 (and this is how<\/a>, courtesy of the Microsoft Office Support page), but (and this is key), if you try to save a fillable form as a PDF, the edible form fields will no longer work.<\/p>\n

Why?<\/strong> Because the file you save is a static PDF image of the file with no editing functionality.<\/p>\n

At this point, the questions you need to ask yourself are: Must the form with fillable fields be a PDF? Is there any reason why it can’t be a Word document?<\/p>\n

If the answer is “yes, must be PDF”<\/em><\/strong>, then:<\/p>\n

\u00a0Hopefully you’re an eligible non-profit,\u00a0as\u00a0Tech Soup Canada has copies of Acrobat Pro XI<\/a> available to NFPs for less than $50. If you are not eligible, then expect to invest $100-$200 US.<\/p>\n

If the answer is “no, could be Word”<\/em><\/strong>, then:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Use Word to create forms with fillable fields<\/li>\n
  2. Keep the fields unlocked (if you lock them, people will not be able to fill in the fields)<\/li>\n
  3. Save a Master copy of the form file in your document library for safe keeping<\/li>\n
  4. Share a copy of the form with your users<\/li>\n
  5. Optional: Have them save the document as a PDF in Word before sending you a copy.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Other Relevant and Commonly Asked Questions:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    “Why would I choose a Word solution over an Acrobat solution?”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

    You don’t have to buy or learn to use Adobe Acrobat – saving you time and money<\/p>\n

    And you can now easily make edits and updates to the form in-house using a tool you are familiar and comfortable using.<\/p>\n

    “I didn’t know you could create PDFs in Word<\/strong><\/em>!“<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

    Yep, that functionality has been available since 2010, and there’s even a Microsoft Office Add-in for Office 2007 called “Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS” – which is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    “You can open and edit PDFs in Word?”‘<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

    Yes, you can open PDFs in Word, and you can edit PDFs in Word if<\/em>\u00a0 it was made in an Office program and this is how<\/a>, again, courtesy of the Microsoft Office Support page.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    “What’s a PDF?”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

    A PDF or Portable Document Format (pi : di : \u02c8\u025bf\/<\/a>) is a common format for sharing final versions of files.<\/p>\n

    Have other questions?<\/strong> Discovered an even better solution?<\/strong>
    \nI want to hear about it – so let’s connect!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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