How do you create an editable PDF in Word?

Factual Questions
1

I tried doing The Google to figure this out but hit an early roadblock.

The instructions I’ve seen say to create a Word document, then go to File>Print and make sure Adobe PDF is selected as the printer.

I’ve tried this on two different computers, neither one has such an option under Print. I tried searching for Adobe PDF as a printer with no luck.

Can someone offer some guidance?

Thanks!
mmm

2

What version of Word? IIRC this was added as an option in 2007 (?). It might be under “Save As” not Print. In older versions, you’ll need to download something that prints. I use Nitro PDF but there are dozens that work.

3

There’s no such thing as an editable PDF. With certain kinds of exceptions, PDF is as much an end format as printing on paper. It’s not designed or meant to be a “live” format like TXT, DOC, etc.

4

I have Office 2010 on this computer, and under Print, I have Microsoft Print to PDF listed as one of the available printers. I think Adobe PDF will be listed as an available printer only if you have Adobe Standard or Professional (both of which cost money, as opposed to Adobe Reader, which is free) on the computer. I believe Microsoft added Print to PDF as an option starting with Office 2007. Earlier versions didn’t have that option. And for Office 2007, you need to download an add-in from Microsoft to print to PDF.

So if your version of Office is earlier than Office 2007, I recommend downloading one of the free PDF programs, such as NitroPDF.

5

I wonder if the OP meant those kinds of .pdf files where you can use your tab key to move from blank to blank and type in your information. A form?

Anyhow, my answer is still the same as Amateur Barbarian’s - I don’t think you can do that with Word. You can “print to” or “save as” a .pdf, but when you open that .pdf, you won’t be able to make changes to it or type in the blanks unless you do it in a program that can add a layer on top of it. (I use FoxitPDF for that. It lets me drop a line of text basically right on top of a .pdf. I cannot change what the .pdf says, but I can add to it.)

6

Yes. I think the term the OP is looking for is “fillable” pdf. You can make pdf forms that are fillable using Adobe Pro. I don’t know of a way to make one with MS Word.

7

From what I can tell, you can’t do this directly from Word. You can create the PDF itself, but you’ll have to edit it with some other program to add the form controls to fill out. There are lots of free PDF editor programs–unfortunately, I have no experience to tell you which has the easiest form controls.

Even creating a proper form in Word won’t work.

8

Yes, I guess I meant a fillable PDF.

I have Word 2007.
mmm

9

Those are called forms in PDF-land. It takes special tools to create them, either Acrobat Pro or a few aftermarket tools with Form in the name. Not sure there are any free tools worth the time.

10

Are you looking for a permanent solution, or do you just have one form you need to make? If you send me a pdf of the form, I would be happy to add fillable fields to everywhere there is a blank to fill in. You can just send me the .doc file as well.

11

That would be an option if you had Acrobat (Pro/Standard) installed.

12

Wow, Bear, that is a generous offer. I am thinking about creating a one-page form for work, but it may need revision or two once presented to the team.

In any case, the form does not yet exist. Not even sure I want to tackle it. But thanks!
mmm

13

Here’s something somebody here taught me a couple months ago. It isn’t exactly a solution to the OP’s problem, but it’s not too far off. In the spirit of sharing the wealth, here it is …
If somebody sends you a PDF that’s not a fillable form, but rather is meant to print out then fill in via handwriting or typewriter there IS a way for the recipient to enter data directly into the PDF document even though it’s not a form.

The recipient wants to open the document in the free Adobe Acrobat Reader app. After about version 10 there is an option under Tools called “Fill and save.”

After you activate that option, you can drag a textbox onto any spot on the document and then type into the box you just created. The typing appears overlaid on the document and the box you created remains in place although it’s not got any visible borders. You can later double-click on your typing to make edits.

Finally you can print or save the filled out form.

As far as I know there’s no way to use this tool to create a cheapo fillable form where the text boxes are already in place for the recipients to use. So each recipient needs to know how to operate the “fill and save” tool. For in-house use that may not be much of an obstacle. It’d be an abject failure if the form is supposed to be filled by customers or other outsiders.
This is probably not really a solution for the OP’s use case, but maybe somebody will learn something new.

Different idea:

Depending on what version and SKU of Office the OP uses at work he and his target audience may have access to InfoPath. This is a tool specifically for creating fillable forms and for storing the entries in the form in a computer-readable manner.

An Acrobat PDF “form” is nice to look at, but it’s a PITA to try to collate the data in 100 of them. InfoPath and the other MS supporting tools make that point-click easy.

I think, but am not sure, that in Office 2016 InfoPath has been renamed to “Forms”.

This may or may not be of value to the OP.

14

No problem at all. Litteraly would take less than 5 mins. Feel free to hit me up when/if you end up with a final document that you’d like form fields added to. I could even add the option of a digital signature if you guys use those and if the form requires a signature.

15

Anyone else keep seeing this thread title and reading it as “How do you create an edible PDF in Word” ?