Obtaining and Installing Adobe Reader®
What is Adobe Reader and What are PDF Files?
Adobe Reader is free software for
viewing and printing Portable Document Format (PDF) files
on any computer. PDF is a universal file format that preserves
all the fonts, formatting, graphics and color of any document,
regardless of the application and platform used to create it.
PDF files are compact and can be shared, viewed, navigated and
printed exactly as they were created.
How
do I get Adobe Reader?
Most computers come with Adobe Reader preinstalled. If not,
Reader is available from Adobe for free download. Click
here (or the icon above) to download
the latest version. There are various versions available for Macintosh,
Palm OS, Unix, Windows and other operating systems. Note that
Reader is a large download and may take a while if you
are using a dialup modem. But once installed, you can view all
the forms and publications on our site and any PDF file on the
Internet.
Problems Downloading, Displaying or Filling-in PDF Files
Almost all problems related to PDF files not working correctly
are due to an incorrect installation of Adobe Reader or you're
using an older version of Reader.
If one file on our site doesn't open
correctly, then try a different file. If that doesn't work either,
the problem is probably due to your computer configuration. The
following remedies solve most problems.
- Make sure you are using the latest version of Adobe Reader,
available here. Even if you have the latest version, some application
files may have been corrupted or deleted, so you may still need
to re-download and re-install the program.
- If you are running many different programs on your computer at the same time (multi-tasking) this may interfere with the forms. Try closing some of them.
- Instead of left-clicking on the link to open the item, try
RIGHT-clicking (or control-clicking if you have a one-button
mouse on Macintosh), then download/save the item to your hard drive. Then
open the item directly in Reader rather than going through your
web browser. Do this by opening Reader first, then use
File-Open to view the document, or just double-click the file's
icon.
- Remember that some of the PDF files are quite large.
If you're using a dialup modem, they could take several minutes
to download.
- As a last resort, use a different computer to download the
file.
- You may also need to uninstall the previous version before
installing the new one. Unfortunately, we are unable to assist
with this type of situation, so please refer to your computer's
Help menu or owners manual for assistance.
If you are still experiencing problems after trying these steps,
contact us.
Problems Printing PDF Files
If the files download and display correctly, but you are unable
to print them, first make sure you've gone through all the steps
listed above in Problems Downloading, Displaying
or Filling-in PDF Files. If one file doesn't print correctly then try a different
file. If that doesn't work either, the problem is probably due
to your
computer configuration. The following remedies solve most printing
problems.
- Open the file in Adobe Reader (not your web browser) and choose
File, Print. In the box that appears, click the "Advanced" button
at the bottom, then check the option that says "Print
as Image". This converts the entire document into a graphic
before sending it to the printer. This option may not be available
with all printer drivers.
- As a last resort, take the file to another computer
and printer, and print it there.
If you are still experiencing problems after
trying these steps, contact us.
Can I Save the Data on the Forms?
Our interactive forms
can be filled out online and printed. The ability to save the filled-in forms and submit
them electronically is currently not available in Adobe Reader, due to its limitations, but there may be other solutions.
You may have discovered that some PDF forms on other sites can be saved with
data intact, such as IRS forms. Adobe Reader does have a "hidden"
ability to save data on forms, and this feature can be activated
when the form is created. However, there is a very steep licensing
fee that must be paid by the creator of the form in order to activate
this feature, and that fee must be paid for each individual form,
and paid again each time the form is changed. For that reason,
the Pine Tree is unable to support this feature at this time.
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Saving the Data Using Foxit Reader or CutePDF Form Filler |
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It is possible to save your forms with the data you fill in by using a different software program - either Foxit Reader or CutePDF Form Filler. CutePDF Form Filler is available here. Foxit Reader is available here. CutePDF software costs $29.95, but you will notice on the website that there is a trial version available for free. If after using it a few times you find you like the software and want to keep using it you can pay then. Foxit Reader is free. You can set either Foxit or CutePDF as you default PDF software so that forms from the web will open in that program. If this is a problem you can download the form by "right clicking" (see Problems Downloading, above), open Form Filler or Foxit Reader and then open the downloaded file in the program.
- If you are using the evaluation version of CutePDF, you may see a message that says you cannot save data you have typed into the form. That should not be the case, save it anyhow (and check).
Saving the Data Using the Full Version of Acrobat
If you have purchased the full version of Adobe Acrobat, then
you can save the information on the forms. Keep in mind that this
only refers to the full commercial version, not the free Reader. To make the forms "saveable", make sure you're using the full commercial paid version of Acrobat, and complete the following steps:
- Open the form in the full version of Acrobat
(not in the free version or in your web browser)
- Go to the Advanced menu, then JavaScript, then Document Javascripts
- Highlight the "resetform" script and click Delete
- Close the dialog box and save the form
- It should now allow you to save the data
Clearing Data From Forms
To ensure the privacy
of data you enter on a form with the fill-in feature, be sure
to use the "clear form" or "reset" button when you
are finished. This Reset Form button will reset all the fields
to be blank and will remove any data you have entered. Failure
to do so may permit others using the same computer to view the
data you have entered.
This only applies if you are using a computer
in a public location, such as a library or school. If you are
using your own home or office computer, and you know that nobody
else uses that same computer, then the privacy of your data is not an issue.
With the more complex forms like the Child Support Worksheet and Financial Statement, you should reset the form after each use regardless. The forms may keep data that you cannot see that will interfere with new calculations.
If you have any comments or concerns about these "fill in
and print" forms, please contact us.
Obtaining Forms from the Court
If you have tried all the remedies above and are still unsuccessful
at downloading or printing a PDF form, you can
download and use a blank form or
you may get the forms from your local Court Clerk's office and fill them out
by hand or with a typewriter.
