Enable Typewriter Tool for Acrobat Reader
For some reason, educational institutions don’t like to take the time to run Form Field recognition before publishing PDF forms. Adobe Reader users will not be able to digitally fill out the form unless the form has had the fields added in Acrobat. Using the Form Field Recognition tool is ridiculously easy (Forms > Form Field Recognition).
If you don’t take the time to run FFR, at least activate the Typewriter tool for your Acrobat Reader users (Full-blown Acrobat users can activate the Typewriter tool anytime). The Typewriter tool allows text to be typed anywhere on a document.
To activate the Typewriter Tool for Acrobat Reader users:
1. Open Adobe Acrobat 8
2. Click Tools > Typewriter > Enable Typewriter Tool in Adobe Reader
Useless bit of information – The longest word that can be typed using only the top row of alphanumeric keys is “typewriter.” (I know your testing it out…now get back to work!)
Comments
Maybe I'll take a look for that. Hate when you can't type in a form. Then have to figure out others ways to do it - like opening it up in AI or PS.
Posted by: keith | May 5, 2008 02:29 PM
Not true. With the top row you can write:
powertower
towerpower (haha!)
All with only the first row:
pete i require tower power you trippy wet peer i rip your tit out.
Posted by: Alex | May 23, 2008 02:29 PM
I downloaded a PDF form frequently used by genealogist to record family information.
It is titled Family Record Form.pdf.
I cannot tell if it is interactive, because I have not been able to fill out any fields on my computer using Adobe Reader 8.012.
The document appears with all the fields. When I move my cursor to the field for input,
The cursor is an I beam. I start typing and nothing happens, the cursor remains in place and does not move.
I can move the cursor to another field but again nothing happens when I begin to type.
Is my entire form a paper only completion?
Typewriter Input – I cannot check off typewriter input until I “Enable Document Rights”.
I cannot find the instruction for enableing document rights.
I tried 3 times to convert it to a pdf form on Acrobat, but it failed each time. Probably because it was already a pdf form.
My computer is a Gateway, Pentium R 4 CPU,1.5 GHZ, 1.0 GB of RAM. Total virtual memory 1.96 GB. Total physical memory 463.18 MB. OS Windows XP.
The instruction on this blog does not mention how to enable document rights.
Posted by: Hartle Hubbard | May 30, 2008 05:15 PM
I have Vista installed. Adobe 8 came with it. I know it sounds crazy, but my typewriter tool is missing...I cannot enable it on documents or use it! I have looked online for help and cannot find it. Please help!
Posted by: Erin | June 16, 2008 04:15 PM
please! help me to be albe to type on my documet. I have the button for the typwriter theres a star sigh* next to it. what can i do to get it working.
Posted by: mollie | June 19, 2008 03:19 PM