Can fillable PDFs from Microtype be read and filled on Adobe Reader as well?

[Daniela Barros]

Hello everyone,

We have contacted Microtype.com to find out more about the add-on that creates fillable PDFs from FrameMaker (FrameMaker-to-Acrobat TimeSavers), but we haven`t received an answer yet.

Do you happen to know if PDFs, created from FrameMaker TimeSavers, can be read and filled on Adobe Reader as well?

We are wondering if Adobe Acrobat Pro would still be necessary...

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Little weird to be asking about another product in the FM forum, but I thought that was the whole point of creating forms - so that users could use Reader to fill them out. The consumers of the forms wouldn't need Acrobat Pro - but you as the producer might.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

There is no reason a PDF form shouldn't work in Reader.

Other options to consider for making PDF forms:

• Adobe InDesign
• AEM Designer (I don't know if this is still available as a standalone program, but it was great at making PDFs for computers)

[frameexpert]

The issue would be saving the filled in PDF form with Reader. The PDF would have to be saved from Acrobat Pro with certain settings to allow the PDF to be saved with Reader. I don't remember the details because it has been awhile.

One other thing to be aware of: later versions of FrameMaker don't use Acrobat Distiller to create PDFs unless you explicitly set FrameMaker to use Distiller. So you have to have Acrobat Distiller installed because FrameMaker doesn't ship with it anymore.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Reader has been able to save form data since version 10 or 11. 

[shalomb61686619]

Maybe 11. It does not work for me on Acrobat Reader X.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

It was 11 (XI) which was released in 2012. 

[shalomb61686619]

There are of course other tools, some of them free, that allow you to fill in PDFs and save them. Some work quite well.