Selecting Text Color and Alignment For Interactive Form

[Atreus79]

I am looking for a permenant work around for text color selection and alignment when using form fields after interactive export over to PDF.

InDesign should have a color pick option within the Buttons and Forms properties, along with text alignment, but it only has Font and Size atm. 

I have designed a survey form for clients to fill out, but the text header has to be updated to the clients name each time prior to export, so this means I do not have a PDF template retained that I can use over and over. I have to edit within InDesign first, then export. The problem is PDF settings that I need locked in, have to be done every time. 
My current process is exporting the PDF, then going into Prepare Form, then placing all fields in alphabetical order for ease of locating, then highlight each portion of fields individually to change their properties so that the text comes in as blue rather than black. Other fields I have to update to a center alignment.

If there was a way I did not have to go through this each time I export a new PDF following the same template design, that would be great. 

[Derek Cross]

The normal workflow is to produce the form in InDesign and then fine-tune it in Acrobat Pro, where you can change the font, colour, alignment and more. There are also third party apps that can help this process.

[Atreus79]

Thank you for the input. I follow the normal workflow, though I wouldn't call it normal. Efficiency would rely on a single source platform that offers all features that going between Acrobat and InDesign translate to. I would hope that there may be a third party app that does all of what both of these do, and that I wouldn't need to use such an app in conjunction with Acrobat and InDesign as that would just bog the process down even further. 

[Atreus79]

Actually I would rather not have to go to a third party app on it's own simply because the amount of work I've already put into the current design would be trashed and I'd have to start over. Unless of course the app was capable of importing existing InDesign file formats.

[Barb Binder · Accepted solution]

Hi @Atreus79:

InDesign should have a color pick option within the Buttons and Forms properties, along with text alignment, but it only has Font and Size atm. 

At this point, we can start forms design in InDesign, but still have to complete them in Acrobat. To file a feature request, please use this form: https://indesign.uservoice.com/. This is a user-to-user forum, and while we may wholeheartedly agree with you, we can't do anything about it.

~Barb 

[Atreus79]

Appreciate the response. My opinion on a color and alignment feature was a non-sequitor, I was hoping someone would have a good solution to what should have been a fairly basic function within InDesign. I will check out the feature request form, though I have a feeling that my opinion is shared by quite a few out there who have likely submitted such a request. Thank you!

[tgm2465]

Late response, but I just had the same question.

Open Interactive PDF in Acrobat. 

If you want to see your changes, type something random in the field first. You can't type while in edit mode.

Click Edit > Prepare a Form.

Double click the field you want to edit. Or if that doesn't work, in the "Fields" bar on the right > right-click on a field > Properties...

Text Color is under the "Appearance" tab. Alignment is under the "Options" tab.

You can also resize the field in "Prepare a Form" by dragging the points on the box. My field ended up smaller than the box I set in InDesign. It was cutting off the top of the text.

Close out of "Edit". Delete your random text. Save it. If you send this file to someone else, it will keep the new color and alignment when they use the fields.  

[TᴀW]

As this thread has been resurrected, I would just mention my own solution: https://www.id-extras.com/products/formmaker/ which lets you add colour, alignment, and pretty much everything else you could wish to add to an interactive PDF form – all done in InDesign, so no extra steps in Acrobat later.

The free version works with short, single-page forms.