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Question

How Can I Print a Negative or Inverted PDF Form?

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
March 28, 2022
5 replies
16406 views

So I have a form with a colored background with white text and when it comes time to "submit" the form and/or print the form, i'd prefer the output to be printed with white/transparent background and black lettering. Essentially a B&W negative of the form and images. Can this be done?

I know there is an option in Apple Pages where if you uncheck the "Print page backgrounds" it'll get close. I say "close" because there are 2 image files that don't seem to be making the inversion. I was just wondering if there is a way to do it via Acrobat Pro DC. I'm using an HP color laserjet.

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JR Boulay

Community Expert

You are right but it only works if you don't modify the fields with Acrobat Pro, if you do they become "detached" from their layer.

Acrobate du PDF, InDesigner et Photoshopographe

JR Boulay

Community Expert

"1. InDesign can put form fields on separate layers."

This is because in an INDD document every object is necessarily attached to a layer.
This is not the case in the PDF format where form fields float on top of everything else, they cannot be attached to a layer.

Acrobate du PDF, InDesigner et Photoshopographe

Luke Jennings3

Community Expert

Hi JR, I believe you are correct that you can't put form fields in separate layers in Acrobat, (AFAIK), however, Acrobat will allow form fields from the InDesign layers to stay attached to the pdf layer when exported to pdf, which is why this hack works. See the attached pdf above.

JR Boulay

Community Expert

You can play with Accessibility settings before printing:

Acrobate du PDF, InDesigner et Photoshopographe

J

Joshua36125334ibw4

Participant

This method only changed the colors on my screen but it did not change the way the file printed. It still printed with the black background.

Luke Jennings3

Community Expert

One option would be to open the pdf in Photoshop and go to Image> Adjustments> Invert, however the color elements would be inverted to their opposite color (not black or white), and the pdf would be converted to an image.

Another option would be to create a layered InDesign file, where you can put matching form fields on the separate layers, export to a layered, interactive pdf, and edit the form field names and layer properties in Acrobat. Why this works;

1. InDesign can put form fields on separate layers.

2. If you give the corresponding form fields the same names in Acrobat, what you type on one layer (in white) will appear and print in the other layer (in black), once all form field properties are properly set.

3. In Acrobat, you can set the white type layer properties to view, but not print and set the black type layer to print but not view.

4. The pdf form must be opened in Acrobat or Reader, as many pdf viewers do not respect layers.

You could also use Acrobat preflight profiles to change a specific color(s), but that's probably not a good option for you, unless you are reusing the same colors over and over.

Sample layered pdf attached (color pdf, prints black only).

Form_with_layers.pdf

BarlaeDC

Community Expert

HI,

I am not sure how you create your form, but if you could create the original backdrop with Layers (Optional Content Group), then you could alter the visibilities of the OCG's on the Will Print event.

This is not quite the same as you want as you would need to create the inverse page yourself and then create the OCG's and finally add the code to make the change. but maybe it helps.

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