Fill out a PDF Form With PowerPoint

Using Ghostscript, Ghostview and PowerPoint you can fill out a PDF form as if you had printed the form out and used a typewriter.

Steps

  1. Download and install the free GhostScript 8 from here
  2. Download and install the free GSView 4 from here
  3. Open GSView and open your PDF file in it.
  4. Choose "Convert" from the File Menu.
  5. Scroll down and choose "jpeg" from the "Device" Option of the "Convert" Window.
  6. Select 300 for the resolution. and Page 1 only from the "Pages" list.
  7. Save the picture to somewhere convenient like your Desktop.
  8. Repeat this process for each page of your PDF form that needs filling out, changing Page 1. to Page 2. etc. but keeping the other two choices in the "Convert" Window the same. [You have to do each page separately, because even if you select "All Pages," the program only save the first image. Only with a multi-page image like a tiff does this setting work.]
  9. Open PowerPoint and choose "Page Setup" from the "File Menu". Change the slide width to 8.5" and the slide height to 11".
  10. Choose the "View" Menu, the "Master" Choice on the Menu and the "Slide Master" on the "Master" Sub menu .
  11. If you have more than one page of PDF from images, right click on the white space under the one Master Slide initially displayed on the left hand slide pane. Choose "New Slide Master". Repeat this process for the total number of pages of the PDF form that will have fields that need to be filled out of which you now have jpg images.
  12. Clear out all the text boxes on the Master slide(s) as you will not need them. Next, click on the first master slide in the slide list on the left and make the following Menu choices "Insert" Menu -> "Picture" Choice ->"From File" Choice from the "Picture" Sub-Menu and insert your first jpg image of the 1st page of the PDF form in your first Master Slide. If you have to, it's important to resize the image so that it takes up the whole slide. If you have more than one jpg/PDF page image, repeat this process for each master slide and each jpg image.
  13. Click with your Left Mouse Button on the "Normal" Choice under the "View" Menu to get back to the regular slide view.
  14. If you have more than one page of PDF form you need to fill out, right click under the one slide listed in the left hand pane and choose "New Slide" here too.
  15. If you have more than one slide, automatically all slides will use the first master for their background image. Right click on the second slide if you have one, and choose "Slide Design".
  16. Select the white area next to the second Master Slide Design from the "Used in this Presentation" Section of the Task Pane that has appeared on the right. Select "Apply to Selected Slides".
  17. Repeat this process for the third slide if you have one, except obviously choose the third Master Slide with the image of the third page of the PDF form.
  18. You are now ready to fill out the fields of the forms. Click on the first slide and change the zoom on the image so the you can clearly see the field on the (former) PDF file.
  19. Choose "Insert" Menu -> "Text Box" and draw out a text field so that it encompasses the image of the field you are trying to fill out
  20. Type in your answer to the field. Obviously you can change the size and font style in your text box and move it around at will to place exactly between the lines. Do this for all your fields.
  21. Print out your pages, sign them and send or fax them away.

Related Articles

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Fill_out_a_PDF_Form_With_PowerPoint&oldid=322717"