Cute PDF Form Question - Can you help?

[Michele Miller]

I've created a form using cute pdf professional, and I've made form fields for people to fill in. Now I open up the form, which is a pdf and opens in Adobe Reader - I can fill in the fields, but after I save it, and reopen it, the filled in information has disappeared. The only way I can see to keep the info is by saving it to disk in the cute pdf program itself, but the people I need to fill in the form won't have that program. What am I missing? How can the form be filled in and saved by someone else?

[Sean Kelly]

Hi Michelle,

I think your best option is to have the 'submit' button in your PDF form send the form data to your server for collection.

According to the product description, you can..

Save the data that you enter into a PDF form, fill it in offline, and later print or submit your form.
Note: If your PDF form does not have interactive form fields on it, you will need CutePDF Professional to make it fillable.

Sounds like you can only print or submit the form data.

Oh wait, they also say

Flatten PDF form to stamp content directly into the PDF document.

It sounds to me like you need their software to do all these things, surely you can have a 'submit' button in your PDF submit the form data to your server..

Sean

[Michele Miller]

Thanks for the ideas. I'll see if I can figure out a submit button. It's pretty stupid that the only way somebody I send the form to, for them to fill out, can only print it and fax it to me, unless they pay $30.00 for the cutepdf form filler.

I'll re-read the Help files again and see if the Submit button is possible.

Thanks.

[Sean Kelly]

I agree, it seems to only help you fill out the forms, not create them.
And it only does this at a fixed cost for each user that wants to fill out the forms.

I think it would make more sense if CutePDF could create PDFs with forms that are submitted to your server.

Sean

[Michele Miller]

Yes, I agree Sean.

I have created some tests and I need to send these forms to my students so they can click on the various fields to select their answers. It's pretty bad that I have to ask them to purchase the Cute PDF form filler if they want to be able to save their test and email it to me. Their only free option is to print it out and send it via fax or snail mail.

I think it's kind of stupid for them to charge people for the form filler.
Surely more people would buy the Cute PDF Professional knowing that the people they send their created forms to didn't have to buy the Cute PDF filler on their end if they want to be able to email it back to you.

[Sean Kelly]

I have an idea... couldn't they 'print it out' to a PDF converter?

I know this is my own product but 'PDF Printer' is a free PDF Converter that they can 'print' their filled out PDF to.. this would create a new PDF with the fields filled in.

It would work like this:
1. Open the PDF
2. Fill out the form
3. Print the PDF to a printer which is actually a PDF Converter
4. Send you the new PDF.

It's not ideal and I prefer the 'submit to server' option but this is a possibility.

Sean

[Michele Miller]

Okay, so this is what their support team said... I think it's pretty stupid actually. They make software that lets you create forms, and other people fill them in, but the people that fill in your forms have to purchase software to be able to save that information in the form... What a load of BS.

Your user need to have CutePDF Pro or CutePDF Form Filler to fill-out and save your PDF form.

Or, they may fill out your form in free Adobe Reader (but not save),
and then print the completed form using our free CutePDF Writer to get the completed output.



Regards,
Support Team
Acro Software Inc

[Michele Miller]

Originally Posted by Sean Kelly

I have an idea... couldn't they 'print it out' to a PDF converter?

I know this is my own product but 'PDF Printer' is a free PDF Converter that they can 'print' their filled out PDF to.. this would create a new PDF with the fields filled in.

It would work like this:
1. Open the PDF
2. Fill out the form
3. Print the PDF to a printer which is actually a PDF Converter
4. Send you the new PDF.

It's not ideal and I prefer the 'submit to server' option but this is a possibility.

Sean

That sounds better than them only having the option to fax it. Can you give me the link to the PDF printer please? Thanks for helping!

[Sean Kelly]

Originally Posted by Michele Miller

Or, they may fill out your form in free Adobe Reader (but not save), and then print the completed form using our free CutePDF Writer to get the completed output.

I agree this is crap but I think this has more to do with PDF limitations than CutePDF. In general PDF Readers don't save PDF files with the form dat intact. It's amazing isn't it!

However, if CutePDF can create PDF forms then they should be able to create submittable forms that can be submitted to your server.

The Url you asked about is PdfPrinter.com
I think any PDF Converter that works as a virtual printer driver should work for the 'print to PDF' solution.

Sean

[Michele Miller]

Thanks for your help. I'll take a look at it.

Michele