# Free, pdf writer, that is Adobe compatible? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 4, 2009, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pdf-writer-that-is-adobe-compatible/479823 "2009-01-04T17:16:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![greatshakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@greatshakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greatshakes)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pdf-writer-that-is-adobe-compatible/479823/1 "2009-01-04T17:16:16Z")
I need the find a free, pdf writer that is Adobe/Acrobat/Whatever compatible. I am semi-literate on this pdf junk, so what I want is something that I can copy, and save, and make fields in so that somebody can go to my website, download the attachment, and ONLY fill in the fields that I give them, and not making any changes other than the fields. Is there any sich critter?? Thank you, greatshakes ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pdf-writer-that-is-adobe-compatible/479823/2 "2009-01-04T19:18:33Z")
Not a chance. There are lots of free PDF applications, and some free editor/creator apps, but creating forms is heavy voodoo, and you need to pay for it. Search for “free pdf form creator” to see your options. ---
**Author:** ![Omphaloskeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bcef8e/32.png) [@Omphaloskeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omphaloskeptic)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pdf-writer-that-is-adobe-compatible/479823/3 "2009-01-04T21:23:03Z")
If you’re willing to use LaTeX, you can use pdflatex with some standard packages (hyperref and insdljs) to generate PDF forms. Here’s a [tutorial](http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/info/pdf-forms-tutorial/) with several examples you might be able to use. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pdf-writer-that-is-adobe-compatible/479823/4 "2009-01-05T15:04:16Z")
You don’t have to resort to LaTeX. You can use Scribus, a free, open source desktop publishing program that’s available for Windows, Linux and Mac. [Here’s](http://wiki.scribus.net/index.php/Your_first_PDF_form_with_Scribus) a tutorial for making forms, although I cannot vouch for how well it works. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pdf-writer-that-is-adobe-compatible/479823/5 "2009-01-05T17:40:52Z")
Best I can recommend is PdFill from Plotsoft at $19.95 off the web. You can download for free to check out first before forking out the cash. Works well, I actually prefer to Adobe Professional for less than huge documents. It will create the forms you want with the fields or modify existing PDF forms to have fillable fields. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pdf-writer-that-is-adobe-compatible/479823/6 "2009-01-05T19:02:24Z")
Please ignore if this is totally unrelated… or enough so to be considered a hijack: I have a 635 page pdf manual. I’d like to be able to add notes of my own to it. My Adobe reader doesn’t seem to allow that… can I make Adobe Reader do it or is there another pdf reader that will. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pdf-writer-that-is-adobe-compatible/479823/7 "2009-01-05T19:52:03Z")
Another hijack. The Canadian government has loads of downloadable fillable PDF forms. But you cannot save the filled out forms; you can only print them. Is there any software that overcomes that limitation? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pdf-writer-that-is-adobe-compatible/479823/8 "2009-01-05T20:00:54Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Please ignore if this is totally unrelated… or enough so to be considered a hijack: > > I have a 635 page pdf manual. I’d like to be able to add notes of my own to it. My Adobe reader doesn’t seem to allow that… can I make Adobe Reader do it or is there another pdf reader that will. Here is what I’ve done. Use GIMP (freeware) on the PDF. You import as a JPG and edit it in that mode. I don’t think you can export as PDF, but there is freeware you can download that lets any program “print” to a PDF file. Still, you can just print the JPG and if the print isn’t too small it should be legible. Your reader doesn’t allow you to do that because it’s a reader, not a writer. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pdf-writer-that-is-adobe-compatible/479823/9 "2009-01-05T21:35:33Z")
> [@](#): > > I have a 635 page pdf manual. I’d like to be able to add notes of my own to it. I believe the FoxIt Reader allows this. ---
**Author:** ![greatshakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@greatshakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greatshakes)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pdf-writer-that-is-adobe-compatible/479823/10 "2009-01-06T02:55:54Z")
Thanks, everybody, for your responses. I may try some of the freewares; definitely will go for the cheap one, Plotsoft, if I cannot get free to work! Thanks again, greatshakes ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-pdf-writer-that-is-adobe-compatible/479823/11 "2009-01-06T07:20:02Z")
You might get lucky with Open Office. It is an open source office suite that is the equivalent of Microsoft Office. It can read and write Office stuff, and I have used it to create pdfs and powerpoints. I don’t know if it can do what you want though. I haven’t tried that.