October 1999

Adobe^® Acrobat Reader Offers Fill-In Forms

By Justin Stein, CPA

It seems that every form on the Internet is created in *.pdf format, which identifies it as an Adobe® Acrobat Reader file, the choice for many web documents, including tax forms and online applications. Until recently, Acrobat Reader, which is available free on the Internet, did not allow users to edit or add notes and comments to *.pdf files, but its new fill-in forms now permit users to type directly onto the document.

This additional functionality represents a significant improvement in Acrobat Reader documents and is particularly helpful to CPAs who use the software to print tax and other forms. For example, users can visit a tax jurisdiction's website, load a desired tax form into their browser, and complete it online. Once they finish typing the applicable information, they can then produce a much more professional looking form than if they scribbled the same data onto a printed form.

In addition to Acrobat Reader's free accessibility (and its availability on many new computers), other advantages include its view, print, navigate, and search functions, and the fact that it is the unofficial standard format for nearly every tax jurisdiction in the nation for posting online tax forms.

Users need to note, however, that the Acrobat Reader still does not provide the ability to save the information typed onto the form. If individuals need to regenerate the form, they have to go through the entire process again or purchase the full version of Adobe Acrobat to edit and save *.pdf documents. Adobe Acrobat is not expensive compared to some other software, but firms and businesses need to ensure that they purchase enough licenses to meet their needs.

Many businesses, including accounting firms, want to find ways to use the web as a business tool, not just an information resource, and Adobe's fill-in forms help meet this need. The new function also further improves Adobe's penetration into the online forms market. As more and more sites include Acrobat Reader's new technology in their web-based documents, CPAs and other users will see an even greater emphasis on the web to solve their online forms needs.