Turn any form into a PDF document in just minutes

Turn Any Form Into a PDF Document in Just Minutes!

Now that the world has mostly gone digital, it can be increasingly inconvenient to have to fill out an old-fashioned paper form for your business or personal tasks. Even though most companies and individuals use online forms, there are still lots of paper users out there. PDF documents are here to stay.

If you get a paper copy of an important form, it can be time-consuming to fill it out by hand and a hassle to have to mail it back to the organization via the post office. A better option is to turn your form into a PDF.

PDF files are commonly used throughout the business world for many different reasons, and they are also the standard file format for everyday tasks in life that require a form. Now that most files and paperwork are digital, the PDF file is even more essential.

You can transform a paper form into a PDF file easily and get all the same convenient features you would have with an online document. PDFSimpli can show you how.

Scanning and Uploading Your Document

Whenever you get a paper form to fill out and you need to send it back right away, it can be a problem. Paper forms take more time to fill in by hand, and if there is no option to send it electronically, you’ll have to set aside time in your schedule to either physically deliver the form back to the sender or mail it back.

One way you can save time and effort with a form is to change it to an electronic format. The easiest way to do this is with a PDF converter tool. You’ll first need to get your form onto your computer or smartphone by scanning it.

There are different scanner tools available that can help you transform a paper copy of a document into an electronic file. If you have access to a tabletop scanner or office scanner you can use it to take a digital picture of your form and convert it to a PDF. Some smartphones can also scan a document by taking a picture of it.

Once you have a scanned PDF document ready, then you need to upload it to your computer or smartphone and save it. After it’s in your electronic files, you can then upload it to a PDF converter tool, such as PDF Simpli, so you can fill it out and edit anything on the document.

Scanning your paper documents into PDF files can help you eliminate a lot of the paper clutter you may have lying around in your home or business office and give you a better organizational system. It’s also a great way to retain a copy of any essential forms from organizations that you need to keep secure.

Types of Documents You Can Upload

The types of documents you can scan, upload and convert to a PDF file are innumerable. Here are some examples of business or personal forms that you can convert into an electronic PDF to make your life easier and more organized:

• Job Applications
• School Forms
• Extracurricular Activity Forms
• Order Forms
• Assessments
• Feedback Forms
• Health Forms
• Training Forms
• Registration Materials
• Evaluations

It would be great if every person or organization you dealt with provided an online fillable PDF file for feedback and other types of information. The reality is that many businesses and individuals still use traditional paper forms to get info. Instead of inconveniencing yourself, upload these types of documents into a PDF tool to make them easier to edit and use.

Editing and Adding Text

Another feature that a PDF converter tool helps with is editing your uploaded digital form. You have to fill out and send a form back to the original document creator, not just open it and view.

To fill out a form on an uploaded PDF, you’ll need to convert it with a tool that allows you to add text and edit the fields of the form. This will give you the option of quickly going through each field and adding your text.

The process is pretty simple once you are working with a PDF editing tool. You just click on each space or field where you need to provide input and type your details. Users may also be able to switch fonts, resize type and add other text features.

If you have a lot of text to input into a form, using an online tool to type everything into the fields is much faster than printing out the document and writing directly on the paper. If you have multiple forms to fill out like this, it can be tedious, so using an online PDF converter and editing tool helps make it easy.

Inserting Signatures and Other Elements

Another part of most forms is the signature. Once you’ve filled out your information, you may need to add a signature and the date to complete the form. One option is to print out the form and add a wet signature, which is a legally binding signature signed with ink on traditional paper. Wet signatures may be mandatory for some legal contracts.

More organizations today may accept a digital signature on their forms. Users may add a digital signature to their document with a PDF converter and editing tool. Typically, the user would draw their signature on the screen using a mouse or trackpad to get the digital signature captured. They may also save their digital signature for future forms.

Besides signatures, PDF converter and editing tools also allow you to add other elements to a digital document, such as images, shapes, redactions and drawings. This helps users get any type of information into the form’s fields.

Forms Step-by-Step Process

Converting a paper form to an online format and filling it out is easy. Here is each step of the process:

1. Scan Your Documents: Organize your paper forms together in one pile once you get them from an individual, business or organization. Scan your documents to an electronic format with your phone or a scanning device. If your documents are already digital, locate them in your computer for easy access.
2. Upload into the PDF Converter: Go to the PDF converter tool through PDF Simpli and quickly upload each scanned file into the application. Ensure the scanner and the tool displays all parts of your document before editing.
3. Add Text and Edit: Click on each field of your digital form and type your information. Edit fonts, colors and other features if necessary. Add any text highlights, shapes, images or icons to your document if needed.
4. Send Your File: Once your document is complete, click on the email link to send your document back to the individual or organization. Be sure to download a copy of your document for your own records or email it to yourself just in case.

This whole process only takes a few minutes, and there is virtually no learning curve. Consider converting each fillable form to a PDF that had editing features to make filling forms out less of a hassle.

Why Use a PDF Converter Tool

There are lots of reasons to go digital with your forms and skip the standard pen and paper route. Most of these benefits have to do with convenience and making your errands for your business and personal life much simpler. Here are the main benefits of a PDF converter tool for forms:

• No Printer Option: While most people have a printer available at work, the rise of telework may mean more people are still at home. Printer sales continue to decrease, especially in the Millennial demographic. More people today want to get documents via email and edit them online instead of offline to avoid the printer problem.
• Skip the Post Office: Another benefit of converting your forms to a PDF is that you’ll be able to avoid going to the post office. If you have to fill out a paper form with a pen, you may also need to mail it back to the sender. This may require making an extra trip to the post office, buying an envelope and finding a stamp. With an online form, you just click to send it.
• Streamline the Process: Uploading your files and editing them online also streamlines the process and makes it easier to find your documents when needed. If you start filling out your form and need to come back to it later, it’s easy to continue another day with an online option.
• Save Time: There is no question that an online form is much faster to fill out than a pen and paper form. If you have to include lots of information, typing it is generally faster than writing it by hand.
• Get Copies: Paper copies of important documents tend to get lost easily. Digital copies are easily stored online or on your computer so you’ll be able to find them when you want to.

Improve Your Workflow

If you don’t have a lot of time to spare and want to improve how you fill out forms, convert them to a PDF that allows you to edit each field. The PDF Simpli tool makes filling out forms less of a chore.

https://www.jotform.com/blog/edit-pdf-form-fields/

https://safetyculture.com/topics/types-of-forms/

https://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/convert-pdf-to-fillable-form/

Fernando Perez Staff Writer

Fernando Perez is a staff writer at WorkSimpli. Her background in Business Operations motivates her to improve access to legal advice in underserved groups, especially in areas like business formation...