Adobe Acrobat 7 in a Snap

1.

Select the Form Creation Method

From the File menu, select the New command. This opens the New Form Assistant window. If you are creating the form from a PDF, select Import a PDF Document for Step 1. Getting Started . If you are creating the form from a Word document, select Import a Word Document . Click Next to go to the next step.

2.

Choose the Source Document

Browse to the location of the source document to complete Step 2. Setup . After selecting the document, click Next to go to Step 3. Return Method . Select how you want the data returnedeither submitted electronically by email or sent manually by fax or mail. If you choose to have the data returned electronically , you must enter a return email address in Step 4. Return Information. Otherwise , no action is needed for step 4.

When using a Word document, a File Import Options dialog box appears after completing the New Form Assistant . If the Word document requires a password to open , enter the password in the Password to Open File box. If the Word document was protected and only certain areas of the document are editable, remove the protection by typing the password in the Password to Unprotect File box.

Designer detects whether the font used in the Word document is available on your computer. If it is not, you can choose to install the font; otherwise, select the Ignore Missing Fonts option and Designer substitutes the unknown font with an available font. If you do not select the Ignore Missing Fonts option, an Adobe Designer error message appears, informing you that the font is missing and prompting you to either install the font or check the Ignore Missing Fonts option.

You can also choose to have Designer convert and embed images when importing the Word document. If you leave the Convert Images option unchecked, Designer inserts placeholders for the images.

Designer gives you the option to generate log files. These files contain information about the converted file, such as the filename and conversion process. If you choose not to create a log file, select Do Not Log . Otherwise, choose the location to save the log from the drop-down menu.

3.

Add Fields

After the form has been selected or converted from another document, you can add fields. From the Standard tab in the Library palette, select an object tool, such as Text Field, Check Box, Drop-down List , or Button . Then click the blank form to add the field.

4.

View the Results

After adding the various fields to your document, you can preview how it will look to users by clicking the PDF Preview tab. Designer displays the form as it will look to the user . At this time, you might also want to test the fields to ensure you have set the properties correctly and that all the information displayed is accurate.