How Do I Fill Out PDFs On My Computer?

<p>I read one of the forums on different ways people choose to apply to college. Some did it online in the form fields; some did it on the computer and printed; some typed onto the paper; and some handwrote. What I would love to do is do it all on the computer and then print it out. </p>

<p>But for the schools that are not on the Common Application, how can I edit the PDF files on my computer? Some schools seem to have "editable PDF" applications but not all. Is there a way I can do this or will I have to do either form-fields or handwriting? I don't want to use a typewriter at all.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance.</p>

<p>igrok</p>

<p>You need Adobe Acrobat Professional. It's pricey, although there is a discount for students.</p>

<p>or you could pirate it.</p>

<p>I've got Adobe Acrobat Professional. How do I use it for this kind of thing?</p>

<p>although that would be of more than questionable ethics!</p>

<p>Interesteddad sent me instructions last year. I'll try to dig them out tomorrow morning. Or perhaps some other posters can pitch in?</p>

<p>I believe that you need Version 6 to be able to fill forms in.</p>

<p>Yes-- I have Adobe Acrobat 6.0. </p>

<p>I was able to fill out some forms with it... but not others. Is it definitely possible to edit them all on the computer?</p>

<p>the documents need to have been converted to a form...if the author hasn't entered the form fields, you'll have to go through manually and draw in the textboxes :(.</p>

<p>That's what I was worried about. So, is there any other way to fill out the forms on my PC and then print them out and mail them? Just so I can visually see that everything's in place and have peace of mind...</p>

<p>Yes, this is what my S did. He filled out the forms online, drawing textboxes with Adobe Acrobat Professional 6.0; he then printed them out and sent out a hard copy. He only needed to print out one rec form for multiple teachers and GCs and make copies.<br>
For the essays, he put in "See attached" in the space and printed out the essays on a separate piece of paper.</p>

<p>If I remember, my son said some forms worked and others didn't but he was able to fill in the forms on the common application using the computer. He applied online using the common app and then printed out copies of the counsellor forms, teacher recs etc. with his information filled in on the computer ahead of time.</p>

<p>You might consider filling out the forms that don't work by hand. </p>

<p>After I encouraged my son to struggle through with the software, I kind of felt like they looked too professional. Maybe the schools want to see if you filled it out yourself. His friend hand wrote them all. They have very similar stats, and the friend got a better scholarship at one of those school's whose forms "didn't work." Now, I KNOW that could have been many other factors - but I always picture the friend's (probably) messy, handwritten application and think, maybe, somehow, that had an impact...</p>

<p>You can fill out PDF forms using either CutePDF 3.1 ($49.95) or CutePDF Form Filler ($29.95). This is try-before-you buy software. Go to <a href="http://www.cutepdf.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.cutepdf.com/&lt;/a> for more information about these programs.</p>

<p>You can download free evaluation software that allows you to fill out the forms. On the evaluation copy the "save to disk" feature is disabled, but the "save as" feature works -- so you do have the ability to save your work, you just need to do it in a file with a different name.</p>

<p>This works to allow you to complete PDF forms that have been formatted to accept information in "fields" -- you usually can also fill these out using Acrobat Reader (the free version), but Acrobat Reader will not let you save the work, although you can print it out. If the PDF is not formatted this way, then the CutePDF programs cannot add text to the page.</p>

<p>There may some versions of Acrobat that aren't that expensive. It doesn't necessarily work on all pdfs, so check first before purchasing.</p>

<p>If you have Word, you can set the forms as watermarks on a Word document, then type in Word.</p>

<p>Hi calmom and All,</p>

<p>Did anynone look into <a href="http://firstpickstore.com/aap7.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://firstpickstore.com/aap7.html&lt;/a>. You can download the Adobe Acrobat 7 Professional editon for only $79.95. They claim that the downloaded copy is REAL (without technique support).</p>

<p>I doubt firstpickstore.com is legit, but who knows. Here's their internet registration information:</p>

<p>Registrant:
Domains by Proxy, Inc.</p>

<p>DomainsByProxy.com
15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States</p>

<p>Registered through: Great Domains For Less
Domain Name: FIRSTPICKSTORE.COM
Created on: 19-May-05
Expires on: 19-May-06
Last Updated on: 31-May-05</p>

<p>Administrative Contact:
Private, Registration <a href="mailto:FIRSTPICKSTORE.COM@domainsbyproxy.com">FIRSTPICKSTORE.COM@domainsbyproxy.com</a>
Domains by Proxy, Inc.
DomainsByProxy.com
15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States
(480) 624-2599
Technical Contact:
Private, Registration <a href="mailto:FIRSTPICKSTORE.COM@domainsbyproxy.com">FIRSTPICKSTORE.COM@domainsbyproxy.com</a>
Domains by Proxy, Inc.
DomainsByProxy.com
15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States
(480) 624-2599</p>

<p>Note that the real registrant is unknown. Note also that the contact info for the web site tells you nothing. </p>

<p>Most interestingly, the email domain (when you click "contact" on the website) is registered as follows:</p>

<p>Domain Name: FIRSTPICKSTORE.BIZ
Domain ID: D10114598-BIZ
Sponsoring Registrar: MELBOURNE IT D/B/A INTERNET NAMES WORLD WIDE
Sponsoring Registrar IANA ID: 13
Domain Status: ok
Registrant ID: A111893484437048
Registrant Name: James Chang
Registrant Organization: James Chang
Registrant Address1: singapore
Registrant City: singapore
Registrant State/Province: singapore
Registrant Postal Code: 380105
Registrant Country: Singapore
Registrant Country Code: SG
Registrant Phone Number: +65.90086249
Registrant Email: <a href="mailto:fruityz@hotmail.com">fruityz@hotmail.com</a>
Administrative Contact ID: C111893480736174
Administrative Contact Name: James Chang
Administrative Contact Organization: James Chang
Administrative Contact Address1: singapore
Administrative Contact City: singapore
Administrative Contact State/Province: singapore
Administrative Contact Postal Code: 380105
Administrative Contact Country: Singapore
Administrative Contact Country Code: SG
Administrative Contact Phone Number: +65.90086249
Administrative Contact Email: <a href="mailto:fruityz@hotmail.com">fruityz@hotmail.com</a>
Billing Contact ID: A111893484437046
Billing Contact Name: YahooDomains BillingContact
Billing Contact Organization: Yahoo! Inc
Billing Contact Address1: 701 First Ave.
Billing Contact City: Sunnyvale
Billing Contact State/Province: CA
Billing Contact Postal Code: 94089
Billing Contact Country: United States
Billing Contact Country Code: US
Billing Contact Phone Number: +1.6198813096
Billing Contact Facsimile Number: +1.6198813010
Billing Contact Email: <a href="mailto:domain.billing@YAHOO-INC.COM">domain.billing@YAHOO-INC.COM</a>
Technical Contact ID: C111893480736175
Technical Contact Name: YahooDomains TechContact
Technical Contact Organization: Yahoo! Inc
Technical Contact Address1: 701 First Ave.
Technical Contact City: Sunnyvale
Technical Contact State/Province: CA
Technical Contact Postal Code: 94089
Technical Contact Country: United States
Technical Contact Country Code: US
Technical Contact Phone Number: +1.6198813096
Technical Contact Facsimile Number: +1.6198813010
Technical Contact Email: <a href="mailto:domain.tech@YAHOO-INC.COM">domain.tech@YAHOO-INC.COM</a>
Name Server: YNS1.YAHOO.COM
Name Server: YNS2.YAHOO.COM
Created by Registrar: MELBOURNE IT D/B/A INTERNET NAMES WORLD WIDE
Domain Registration Date: Thu Jun 16 15:15:16 GMT 2005
Domain Expiration Date: Thu Jun 15 23:59:59 GMT 2006</p>

<p>You might want to spend a bit more....</p>

<p>Firstpickstore's Terms and Conditions:</p>

<p>"You understand that in order for FirstpickStore to make you a copy of any software, you acknowledge that you are the legal owner of this same software, and are looking to just make a new copy for archival (backup) purposes only. "</p>

<p>Maybe it's not such a good deal...</p>

<p>One benefit of buying a legit version of Acrobat Approval is that if there are any updates, you'll be able to download them immediately and for free.</p>