PDF form maker? Free/cheap?

[Xander]

The app I have on my ipad that lets me add text/signatures/etc to a PDF document just updated and added the ability to fill in forms on the doc. Great! Now I can fill in a form rather than creating a text box for putting a customer's details on a work order.

Only problem is that I don't have or know of any software to create a form other than Adobe's stuff. I only have about 4 document templates that I want to do this so I'd rather keep the cost to a minimum.

I know of a dozen PDF printer programs but that's obviously not what I need here.

 

[iptech]

I've just completed the first stage of a project for a customer in which he required some PDF forms. I looked at a lot of packages and like you have found most of them are expensive and often lacking in features. Then I stumbled upon a program called PDFill. You can do most things that you can do with Acrobat including Adobe Javascript and best of all it's only $19.99 USD. It's a little bit dated in it's appearance but the free tools are worth the licence fee alone and of course there are no licensing requirements for distributing/reselling any forms you've made. There's a free trial available which IIRC leaves a stamp on any documents you create, I bought it after playing with after less that half-an-hour.

The forms can be completed using any PDF reader although you cannot save a completed form although using a PDF printer you could create a PDF using a PDF virtual printer (included with PDFill).

 

[Xander]

Funny, I'd glanced at that but missed the Fill feature (which is just stupid on my part given their name is "PDFill")

Looks like it might be exactly what I need (and well priced). I'm going to try out their demo but it shows great promise.

Thanks!

 

[iisjman07]

I've used this before: http://www.pdfescape.com/. It's free and allows you to edit and add editable fields to pdfs using your browser

 

[colonydata]

The app I have on my ipad that lets me add text/signatures/etc to a PDF document just updated and added the ability to fill in forms on the doc. Great! Now I can fill in a form rather than creating a text box for putting a customer's details on a work order.

Only problem is that I don't have or know of any software to create a form other than Adobe's stuff. I only have about 4 document templates that I want to do this so I'd rather keep the cost to a minimum.

I know of a dozen PDF printer programs but that's obviously not what I need here.

what pdf software are you using on your ipad? i am all over anything that lets you fill out pdf forms on the ipad

 

[Xander]

PDF Expert. $5 = Very good deal

 

[kwisher]

I believe the free Desktop Publishing application Scribus allows you to create PDF forms. I've never used this feature so YMMV. Might be worth a look.

 

[frenchscottie]

Pdf

Does the free Open Office suite not allow you to edit and save etc pdf files???
I've not tried it myself but thought I saw it in an advert.

 

[meanderer]

Open office saves in pdf directly.

 

[Xander]

Does the free Open Office suite not allow you to edit and save etc pdf files???
I've not tried it myself but thought I saw it in an advert.

You can save your docs as PDFs easily but, once saved, it won't open and edit those PDFs.

There are Open Office commercials?

 

[iptech]

There are Open Office commercials?

There are many, Sun Microsystems will always hate the Microsoft model even when there's no money to be made.

FWIW OpenOffice is not good for creating electronic forms, it creates PDFs but only as output files, a form by definition is an input format.

 

[Xander]

I've just completed the first stage of a project for a customer in which he required some PDF forms. I looked at a lot of packages and like you have found most of them are expensive and often lacking in features. Then I stumbled upon a program called PDFill. You can do most things that you can do with Acrobat including Adobe Javascript and best of all it's only $19.99 USD. It's a little bit dated in it's appearance but the free tools are worth the licence fee alone and of course there are no licensing requirements for distributing/reselling any forms you've made. There's a free trial available which IIRC leaves a stamp on any documents you create, I bought it after playing with after less that half-an-hour.

The forms can be completed using any PDF reader although you cannot save a completed form although using a PDF printer you could create a PDF using a PDF virtual printer (included with PDFill).

After deciding PDFescape doesn't quite meet my needs, I went ahead and bought PDFill.

I'm now working on my invoices and wondering if anyone has knowledge of Adobe Javascript:

• Any way to get a Date form to default to today's date?
• How do you get the math done? If I have one form called "hours" and another called "HoursPrice" and want "X" hours to equal "Y" price:

  var a = this.getField("Hours").value;
  this.getField("HoursPrice").value = 30 * a;

  Shouldn't this work within the calculate field of "HoursPrice"?
• Any way, on an invoice, to have a checkbox affect a SUM? I want to have checks for adding flat rate services or software sales.

 

[Xander]

I wrote the author a page-and-a-half email with 3 solid questions. I mentioned, at the end, a small misspelling in one dialogue box.

I just got a reply: "Thank you for the spelling help".

...I'm a little ******.