Using PDF Forms

Downloading PDFs

Forms and instructions can be downloaded using Acrobat Reader. The forms are PDF fill-in forms which users will be able to complete onscreen, print out, and fax in.

The free Adobe Acrobat Reader does not allow you to save your completed forms. You can save your completed forms if you use Acrobat Approval or the full Acrobat Standard or Professional Programs. Acrobat Approval is no longer available, but existing versions will work.

If you are having difficulty downloading a PDF, please make sure you have the most recent version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you need further help, try Adobe's customer support.

If you only see a blank page when you download the PDF, usually you are not waiting long enough for the file to download. If you have this problem, or would like to speed the download a bit, please try this: Instead of clicking on the link for the PDF, right-click. On the pop-up menu select "Save Target As" (Internet Explorer) or "Save Link As" (Netscape). Select the place on your hard drive to save the file, and the name. Once you click Save, the file will download to your computer hard drive. Once the file has downloaded, you can double-click on it to open it. It is usually quicker to download the file this way, because it is downloading the file immediately instead of waiting for your Acrobat program to open before downloading the file.

Instructions for Using Fill-in Forms

If you are using the free Acrobat Reader:

Before you start to fill out a form, please make sure that you have all the correct, final information available. You may wish to print the forms first, fill them out by hand, and ensure their accuracy before filling in the final forms on your computer. As Adobe Acrobat Reader does not allow you to save the form once it is filled out, you will be unable to go back and retrieve or edit information once you close the window containing the forms. You must print out the forms before you close the window or you will lose the information you have entered. With multi-page documents, you may want to proofread and print each page as you complete it.

If you are using Acrobat Approval:

You can save, close, and reopen a form as you would a conventional word processing document.

Please note that currently there is no computer-generated computation, validation, or verification of the information that you enter. Form fields simply allow you to type in information; you must ensure that it is correct.

To complete the forms:

1. If your cursor is not already in the shape of a "hand", select the "hand" tool from the Acrobat toolbar menu. This will allow you to move the page around to see each portion.

2. Move the "hand" pointer over a form box on the document. The "hand" should turn into an "I-beam." The "I-beam" signifies a "fill-in" section of the form. Click inside the box. You can now type into the box. When the pointer hovers over a check box, button, or item list, it will turn into a hand with one finger pointing. This means you can select the item.

3. Fill out the form by typing text into the appropriate areas and checking boxes where needed. (Boxes can be checked either by clicking on the box with your mouse or by tabbing into the box and hitting the "enter" key.)

4. To move from field to field, use the Tab key. Shift + Tab will move you to the previous field.

5. Print the form using the "print" icon in the Acrobat toolbar menu, not the print icon or command in your Web browser. If you print using your Web browser's print command instead of the Acrobat command, the contents of the fields might not print properly.

6. Check the printed forms very carefully for any errors, fields that did not print, or omissions. You may go back and make changes to any of the fields in your open document and then reprint it.

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