Wanted: the bonehead programmers who designed the 'editable' filing forms

[bornfree2]

Just wanted to add (since we can no longer edit after posting)... im doing the official forms on mac using the Preview app...

I noted an issue above wherein you cant type past a certain point and my hacky work around was to add a text annotation at smaller size and matching font. Seeing that im printing this out it wont be an issue

But it appears it DOES support a way to fit in text (and it keeps scrunching down the font).

• select the text line, type your text, allow it to overflow (extra text will disappear)
• then click away, and then double click within the field, then click away (or some strange combo like that)

That then will make the text line smaller in size and fit within the field. Dont go overboard and try to paste in a shakespeare sonnet cause it will be unreadable in size.

[justbroke]

I was going to suggest you use BestCase, but the forms will be unusable as they are marked with "DEMO" in big bold letters all over the forms, headers, footings, and may appear multiple times on the forms.

So, your only choice is to be careful with the fillable forms. Use continuation sheets as necessary.

[bornfree2]

Fillable PDF forms are the problem in general. They were not designed for "long lines" or doing anything, really, outside the box. The forms are paper forms and they made them fillable, but everything must stay within the box and the parameters of the boxes (because it's a real official government GAO form).

Ohhhh. Cause on recap filings they leave clarify statements... that dont fit within the lines... for example like this:

https://imgur.com/a/eHtxGGK

At the bottom it says BestCase software.

Now you got me thinking I should look into a BK filing service. They are like $100-200 and thats an investment I can afford atm.

[justbroke]

Fillable PDF forms are the problem in general. They were not designed for "long lines" or doing anything, really, outside the box. The forms are paper forms and they made them fillable, but everything must stay within the box and the parameters of the boxes (because it's a real official government GAO form).

Besides, not all areas are required. They may depend on other data. These are not "smart" forms, simply fillable PDF forms and for all fillable PDF forms the filler must understand what they are doing.

I don't know of any fillable PDF form that marks areas. Now, having wrote that, the tools like DocuSign, and other online document signing engines, do have such features. It's just not generally available in a PDF, especially one that is meant to be printed and physically signed.

[bornfree2]

Not sure if its my mac (Preview app), the way the official forms were designed and converted to pdf, but the editable feature sucks! Oh let me count the ways

• want to type in info as long as the line given?...meh, sometimes you can sometimes you cant
• if you type overflow, it goes into mystery space and the cursor disappears
• no text cursor to edit within a text input.
• sometimes a marked checkbox on one part of page, cancels out another.

Work arounds/tips ive found:

• use text annotation feature and try to match the font and size (and pray the OCR scanner will not get tripped up!)
• continually save... and backup to different file names as the form is completed in parts
• use a red outline box to highlight areas you dont have info for yet (so i absolutely dont overlook anything)
• use a yellow outline box on areas that require date, signature, name, page number, district, etc... so critical and so easy to forget
• delete all outlines and boxes

Because of my additions to the pdf, i will print it out and file it and not use electronic filing. I have no idea what my text overlays would do to the pdf. A paper hardcopy scanned by the intake office is the best insurance.

(I do wonder if you get to see how their scan came out, or if you have to wait several days to find it on pacer to see the results. would be nice if they had some computers right there that let you see the file as others see it)

EDIT: i should have added that of course i remove the outline boxes...they are for my own tracking