Skip to main content
_
_bcweed_
Participating Frequently
April 17, 2008
Question

how to draw in Acrobat?

  • April 17, 2008
  • 19 replies
  • 33302 views
I know this is probably not the right place for that but...
I am developing a Asp.net app that deals with PDF forms. I have learned how to do the entire javascript on PDF documents, how to submit FDF data to my Web form, how to work with that data withthe Active X FDF toolkit, and fill form fields with data coming from my app.
Good.

I need to know how do simply draw 1 line in Acrobet. Or is this not posible in acrobet?

I have a form with whioch I am working and I dont lik the design. I want to add 1 litle black line in 1 place. That black line has to be part of the form design, the drawing behind the fields, but not part of a the collection of fields.

I cant seem to figure out how to do this...

I work with acrobat 8.1.2

Thanks
    This topic has been closed for replies.

    19 replies

    harryd74951450
    harryd74951450
    Participant
    January 6, 2016

    I figured out a quick solution draw your line in whatever else program you want then copy and paste in when you are in edit mode then you can mess with it from there

    Patrick_Leckey
    Patrick_Leckey
    Participating Frequently
    April 22, 2008
    No I meant Distiller. Right-click on your PDF, choose "Properties", go to the "PDF" tab and you'll notice the "PDF Producer" is set as "Acrobat Distiller 5.0.5 (Windows)".

    Distiller is used in a lot of ways you don't necessarily notice though. If the form was created in MS Word or some other application, and then changed to PDF format by printing to the PDF Printer, it would show as being created by Distiller.
    _
    _bcweed_Author
    Participating Frequently
    April 22, 2008
    At last. Thank you. I think you ment LiveCycle Designer instead of Distiller cause distiller I have only lets me load up .PS type files and it sure dont look like its for editing anyting.

    But LifeCycle Designer looks like is gone do it fine for me.

    Thanks
    Patrick_Leckey
    Patrick_Leckey
    Participating Frequently
    April 21, 2008
    Ah ok. The original form (background lines) was created by printing to PDF via Acrobat Distiller.

    You can use the object touch-up tool to manipulate this data in simple ways, but these are not seen by Acrobat as "form fields". What Acrobat is seeing as "form fields" are boxes laid on top of that.

    Acrobat is not a document creation program like MS Word - it was not designed to do this. The reason you cannot add lines to the background is because it is the background - the intent is that you have the background designed in other software to the way you want it before importing it into Acrobat. The intent of the line tool was to be able to point to areas on a document for annotation purposes - it was not designed to be added to background art since this is not the intended function of Acrobat.

    I would say Aandi's original suggestion is correct - you should modify the original form to the way you want it before importing it into Acrobat and then design your form around that. Acrobat simply wasn't intended to do what you are trying to do.
    _
    _bcweed_Author
    Participating Frequently
    April 21, 2008
    fair enough...

    here it is:

    http://bcweed.mine.nu/pdftest/fastapp 1.pdf

    there is a space between the "P" and the "1" so maybe you better enter it like this:

    http://bcweed.mine.nu/pdftest/fastapp%201.pdf

    its nothing complicated nor magical I think
    Patrick_Leckey
    Patrick_Leckey
    Participating Frequently
    April 21, 2008
    Perhaps we are getting confused with the description.

    Can you post a link to the form so that we can see what these "background lines" are?
    _
    _bcweed_Author
    Participating Frequently
    April 21, 2008
    Aandi, there is something I am missing out on the entire concept. I have a PDF form. It has fields like text boxes, and check boxes that I can fill or check and uncheck. Those field and only those field are the filed that I can TAB to in Adobe Reader. Behind those fields is a black and white background image (i assume) which is basicly text and lines and boxes that make the form design, but really it is the original hard copy of the form. (it is what you see when you fill in the hard copy version of that same form)

    Now I go in Adobe Acrobat Pro 8.1.2 cause I dont like 1 or 2 lines and I want to add 1 or two more just like the ones that are there. (all those lines are part of the background)

    I can use the "touch up object tool" and select any and each of the lines that I want to, and delete them. But....

    Why can't I create a new line and then make it be part of the background like all the other lines???
    Why is it that every line I create, then when I go to Acrobat Reader, then it can be selected with mouse and/or TABed to??

    Is there not a way that I can save that new line as the original lines are? and then have a PDF form that is made up of a background of lines and text and some fields that are TABable and can be filled or checked and unchecked?

    What is it that I dont get?
    _
    _Aandi_Inston_
    Participating Frequently
    April 23, 2008
    >Aandi, there is something I am missing out on the entire concept.

    I think so, but we'll get there.

    >I have a PDF form. It has fields like text boxes....

    Yes, form fields. So far so good.

    > Behind those fields is a black and white background image (i assume) which is basicly text and lines and boxes that make the form design
    >, but really it is the original hard copy of the form. (it is what you see when you fill in the hard copy version of that same form)

    Exactly so.
    >
    >Now I go in Adobe Acrobat Pro 8.1.2 cause I dont like 1 or 2 lines ...
    >I can use the "touch up object tool" and select any and each of the lines that I want to, and delete them. But....
    >Why can't I create a new line and then make it be part of the background like all the other lines???

    Because Acrobat doesn't have a tool to do that. Acrobat is not the
    tool for major edits you want it to be (yes, major, sorry). You need
    to edit (broken record again) the original document.

    >Why is it that every line I create, then when I go to Acrobat Reader, then it can be selected with mouse and/or TABed to??

    Because you can only add comments (annotations) in the form of lines,
    NOT lines on the background.

    What I am trying to explain is that you go to the original document.
    Someone made a document, drew on it the lines you don't like, made the
    "text and lines and boxes" you refer to. THIS is the original
    document. Perhaps it was made in Microsoft Word, but it could be
    anything. Then they used Distiller to make a PDF.

    So, what I am saying is that you change THAT original document, THAT
    Word document or whatever it is, and re-make a PDF. You'd normally
    have to add all your form fields again, but we can help you keep them.

    >Is there not a way that I can save that new line as the original lines are?

    Not with Acrobat. Not what it's for.

    Aandi Inston
    _
    _bcweed_Author
    Participating Frequently
    April 19, 2008
    So Aandi, what program should i be using to edit the black and white drawing which makes the background of my form??
    _
    _Aandi_Inston_
    Participating Frequently
    April 19, 2008
    You should not bring it into ANY program. You should edit the ORIGINAL
    document (that is the document from which the PDF was made).

    Aandi Inston
    _
    _bcweed_Author
    Participating Frequently
    April 18, 2008
    I must say what I did worked butifully but now that you say it.... I looked and the file size went from about 200k to 950k.

    is there any problem with that? or any solution?
    Like I say, I just need to add 1 litle black line or 2 here and there to make it look better... What can I do?
    _
    _Aandi_Inston_
    Participating Frequently
    April 18, 2008
    The problem is that you took what was probably a nice form with text
    and lines in it, and turned it into a single image: bigger file,
    poorer quality.

    The solution is to not try to use photo editors for non-image PDFs...!

    Just update the original file and remake a PDF. No need to resort to
    editing PDF content.

    Aandi Inston
    _
    _bcweed_Author
    Participating Frequently
    April 18, 2008
    I actualy use Corel Photopaint and it worked perfectly. I guess acrobat is not for creating that backgound image...
    _
    _Aandi_Inston_
    Participating Frequently
    April 18, 2008
    I would say that PhotoPaint is every bit as terrible a choice, unless
    the page is a scan. Note that a scanned page is likely to produce a
    much larger PDF than you probably want to deal with.

    Aandi Inston
    Show more replies
    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
    Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices