You’re already familiar with paper forms: documents with blanks that people fill in and deliver to the appropriate person or organization. An Adobe PDF form is a computer-based version of a form, which can either be distributed through email or CDs, or published on a website.
PDF forms can be ordinary PDFs with blank form fields or they can be interactive. Ordinary PDFs are a convenient way of publishing forms that must be printed, filled out by hand, and physically delivered, such as by mail or fax. An interactive form can be filled out on a computer and may be submitted through an Internet or local network connection. The built-in security features can safeguard the privacy of electronically submitted data.
Interactive forms simplify the work users must do to provide the needed information. Electronically submitted forms can be labor-saving at the receiving end, too, because the data from many individuals can be set up to be collated automatically.
If you already use other kinds of forms, you can quickly make them into interactive PDF forms: You can scan paper forms and you can convert electronic forms in other formats (such as Word documents, InDesign layouts, and Excel spreadsheets) to interactive PDF forms.