Aug
31
Have you downloaded a PDF form that enables you to fill in the fields using Acrobat Reader? Many government forms such as federal and state tax return documents have this feature. Have you ever filled one in only to find that you can’t save all of the data you just typed in? That’s got to be one of the worst “features”, ever. What’s the point of being able to save the file without the data? Here’s a workaround.
The next time you see a PDF form that shows a message such as,
“You cannot save data typed into this form. Please print your completed form if you would like a copy for your records.”
do the following:
- Install a PDF printing tool such as the one included with the full Adobe Acrobat package or a free one such as PDFCreator.
- Fill in the PDF form as you normally would
- When you’re done with the form, print it
- Rather than using your default printer, select the one from the PDF tool you installed in step #1
Voila! Now you’ll have a PDF of the filled-in form to save for your records.
Or you can fill in the PDF form for free using http://www.pdfescape.com instead of jumping through hoops.
That online service is OK for forms with data I don’t care about. But I wouldn’t use it for things such as tax return forms since the data goes to pdfescape’s servers.
Just something to keep in mind. :) Thanks for the info, Jay.
I recommend Foxit Reader – it allows you to save filled forms and add/edit bookmarks. I think it is also a little faster than Adobe, but I’m not sure.
Thanks
You forgot to mention to rename the .prn to .ps to open it with PDF creator then save to pdf
@dl: I never had to output to a .prn file, rename to .ps and then import. Printing to the PDFCreator device makes the PDF file with no extra steps.
I have to submitt the FAFSA report as a pdf attachment. So when I opened the pdf file I can see my full FAFSA report. The company asked me to click on save to save it on my pc and then send it as an attachment. I’m running Vista Home Edition and I downloaded Adobe Reader 9.3 straight from their website. It came with something called “Adobe Air”, whatever that is. I have been able to save pdf files before, but this one, when I click on the icon for saving nothing appears ( the box for saving, that is ). I don’t know what to do …
Perhaps the PDF file was set to not allow saving. If the PDF file you’re viewing is on a web page, right-click the link and choose Save As, Save Target As, Save Link As or whatever similar wording your browser uses.