Windows Creating PDF files from scratch?

I need to recreate a form as a PDF. When exporting a word document, the text and lines group together so fixing all of the slight display problems are impossible.

I've just noticed with Acrobat 5.0 I can't create PDFs, I can only edit them, and convert other documents to PDF. So how can I make a new PDF form as efficiently and modifyable as possible?

(It turned all of the lines into one big graphic, misaligning most of the lines.)

Do I just need to push for InDesign and Acrobat 6? Or is there some way to enable a "File>>New" option in Acrobat 5?

 

I have created some good forms using Word and Acrobat 6.... did not see the problem you mention... but it may exist

 

cutepdf is the one I use, it's used just like another printer.

- H.

 

Openoffice is pretty good for this kind of thing. Or you could use LaTeX and then convert to a pdf at the end?

Sam

 

There is no "File>>New" in Acrobat.
You create files using other programs, then convert them to *.pdf. It is very unusual concept for MS Office users, but that’s the way it works.
Please open Acrobat, then go to Help, and select Acrobat Help.
Review:

Creating Adobe PDF Files (page 32)
Working with PDF (page 103)
PDF Forms (page 145)

If you are still experiencing problems, try to convert a simple document to check your Acrobat install.

Good Luck

 

If you have Acrobat Pro (or at least something more than the reader), take your document in word (or whatever) and print it to the Adobe PDF printer (may be in print to file).
You can get it done by uploading the file to adobe's site, but it's really a huge hassle IMO.

 

Okay, for the record, I've converted roughly two or three hundred documents into PDF, I was just trying to make one that was actually editable afterwards.

And as Microsoft loves to avoid any standards-compliant method of creating documents, Adobe can't tell what the hell the word document is supposed to look like. (let's just say it is a single page with over 100 form fields on it, and just as many table cells)

My solution is I took the original PDF I made that was a little messed up, then I placed it in an InDesign page as a graphic on my personal laptop, and am just creating the document from scratch first, then I'll edit it in InDesign, then export it to PDF. Since Adobe knows exactly how InDesign lays things out, I can always modify anything I need in Acrobat later without worrying about lines or text being grouped improperly.

I just wanted to make sure before I requested my boss buy InDesign for my work computer.