How to Create a PDF Form

In the corporate world, PDF forms have been on the rise over the last couple of years, mainly due to the advantages they have over paper forms.

In general, PDFs are sustainable because they reduce the reliance on paper and are readily available.

And as the world goes digital, logic suggests that PDF forms will soon replace traditional paper.

To make a PDF form, you’ll need a good PDF editor. These editors generally have a PDF template you could choose from if you don’t want to create the form from scratch.

But before you start making a form, let’s first dive into what a PDF form is in its entirety.

What is a fillable PDF form?

A fillable PDF form is a PDF file that contains some parts that can be edited without the use of a PDF editor. They are commonly used for contracts, certifications, official documents, etc.

In most cases, you can fill PDF forms online. While the applications of fillable PDF forms are vast, they are often used to collect data during advertising campaigns. PDF forms are mostly locked, and only certain parts can be edited. They can also be filled offline or online and forwarded to the final destination.

To open or create a PDF form, you have to use document editing software. If you don’t want to get lost in the technicalities of creating a  PDF form, it’s best to use a service with an easy-to-use UI.

What’s the difference between a PDF form and a web form?

To understand the difference between a PDF form and a web form, you must first understand what they both are. By now, you already know what a PDF form is, so let’s talk about web forms.

As the name suggests, a web form is a type of form you encounter on the internet. If you’ve ever had to put your name, email, and password to access a website or social media app, you’ve filled a web form.

The main difference between a web form and a PDF form is that you need the internet to access and fill web forms, while you can fill PDF online and offline.

Web forms are also more vulnerable to bot attacks than PDF forms, and once filled, the data in web forms can be changed at any time, unlike PDF forms.

Another distinct difference between fillable PDF forms and web forms is that PDFs can be distributed without a website, while web forms cannot. This is because all web forms are hosted on the internet, but PDFs are not.

When should I use PDF forms?

As the world evolves into the digital age, non-digital tools and services are beginning to take a back seat. Due to their versatility, PDF forms are now almost totally replacing traditional (paper) forms.

Why? The reason is that, in most cases, fillable forms meet the demands of users more than paper forms.

Therefore, you should use PDF forms as much as possible because they present excellent editing and usability opportunities. Some of them include:

Accessibility

The fact that you can access and fill PDF forms online gives it a distinct advantage over paper forms. It also means that PDF forms are available 24/7 and can be delivered in any quantity. This reduces expenses on paper and the restrictions that office hours place on the availability of a particular document. People can also receive and fill forms right on their smartphones easily.

Security

The contents of PDF forms cannot be easily changed, and this protects them from third-party manipulation. In the long run, PDF forms are way more secure than their traditional counterpart, as the latter can be destroyed irreversibly, while PDF forms can always be backed up and recovered.

Customizability

PDF forms can easily be customized to fit multiple purposes. Unlike paper forms, you could simply use software like LuminPDF to customize fillable PDF forms to suit your exact purpose.

Convenience

Most people hate paperwork. So, instead of filling a form by hand, PDF forms offer a viable alternative to that. They can be customized to be very user-friendly and easy to fill, depending on their use.

Fillable forms hold distinct advantages over its counterpart. Therefore, use them as much as possible to streamline your workflow and save the planet.

How To Create A PDF Form

To create a Fillable PDF, you’ll need to use a PDF form creator like LuminPDF. Creating a form is relatively easy if you follow the systematic steps mentioned below.

First, create a word document for the form and save it. Next, you open the PDF editing tool. To start working on the form, you have to import the word document you made into the editor.

When it’s imported, the form editor will scan the document and detect form fields automatically. You can then use the editing tools to either add more fields or edit the existing fields in the form.

When you’re done editing, save your work as a fillable PDF file. You can then easily distribute it either via email or download it for offline use.

How To Get Free PDF Templates

The easiest way to use PDF forms is by using PDF templates. You can easily download them from PDF editing platforms, but the best place to get the best PDF templates is Lumin Forms.

There’s a wide variety of PDF templates you can choose from when creating a form, ranging from high school resumes, balance sheet statements, contracts, etc.

You can choose a blank PDF template if you want to edit the document yourself. Or you could simply use the PDF template download feature to get any template design that appeals to you.

Some of the most popular PDF forms people use these days are invitation forms for weddings, webinars, and other such events. You can get a PDF invitation template free from Lumin Forms as well.

Due to the extensive use of PDF forms today, templates are growing in popularity by the day. Although creating a form from scratch might be entertaining and easy with the right tools, using templates simply saves time. And like they say, time is money.

Conclusion

The best thing about PDF forms is that they can easily be reused. If you create a form for an annual event, you can always use it again every year with a few modifications to date, time, or general settings.

In the grand scheme of things, PDF forms are a blessing to the corporate world. Soon enough, they will completely replace traditional paper forms.