Fillable PDF and Non-fillable PDF Forms
There are two types of PDF forms; the Fillable PDF form with form fields and the Non-fillable PDF form with no interactive form fields.
What is a Fillable PDF Form?
A fillable PDF form is an interactive PDF document that includes certain fields that are editable. A fillable form is frequently used as a PDF template to gather data. An example of a fillable PDF form is the IRS Form 1040 that you can fill out and download online.
What are Non-fillable PDF Forms?
A non-fillable PDF form is a regular PDF document. Visually, they may look like a form but with no interactive form fields.
How to Fill out a Fillable PDF Form?
To fill out a fillable PDF form, you need to get the form’s field names first. You can use the Get PDF Info tool to get the field names and the page number. PDF.co integrates with automation services such as Zapier, Integromat, UiPath, BluePrism, and more so that you can automate the form filling. You can check out our tutorials on how to use those services to start automating your form-filling workflow.
- Zapier – https://pdf.co/how-to-fill-pdf-forms-using-zapier
- Integromat – https://pdf.co/fill-w9-form-using-pdfco-and-integromat
- UiPath – https://pdf.co/fill-pdf-form-with-uipath
- BluePrism – https://pdf.co/fill-pdf-forms-with-blue-prism
- Automation Anywhere – https://pdf.co/fill-pdf-form-using-automation-anywhere
Fillable PDF Form Demo
In this demo, we will fill out the IRS Form 1040. It is a fillable PDF form that you can download directly from the IRS website. We will use the /v1/pdf/edit/add endpoint and add the details to the fields[] parameter.
Now, let’s see the Fill PDF Forms Web API in action.
Fill PDF Forms Web API cURL Code Snippet
curl --location --request POST 'https://api.pdf.co/v1/pdf/edit/add' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--header 'x-api-key: your-api-key' \
--data-raw '{
"async": false,
"encrypt": false,
"name": "f1040-form-filled",
"url": "https://bytescout-com.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/files/demo-files/cloud-api/pdf-form/f1040.pdf",
"fieldsString": "1;topmostSubform[0].Page1[0].f1_02[0];John A. Doe|1;topmostSubform[0].Page1[0].FilingStatus[0].c1_01[1];true|1;topmostSubform[0].Page1[0].YourSocial_ReadOrderControl[0].f1_04[0];123456789"
}'
The Fill PDF Form Web API sample code is available here.
How to Add Text/Image to the Non-fillable PDF Form?
To fill out a non-fillable PDF form, you only need to add the text or image, the x and y coordinates of the object, and the page number. It can be personalized with font name, font size, and style.
Non-Fillable PDF Form Demo
In this demo, we will fill out a regular PDF document. We will use the same /v1/pdf/edit/add endpoint but a different parameter. To add text or image objects in a regular PDF, we will use the annotations[] parameter.
Let’s see the Add Text and Images to PDF Web API in action.
Add Text and Images to Web API cURL Code Snippet
curl --location --request POST 'https://api.pdf.co/v1/pdf/edit/add' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--header 'x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
--data-raw '{
"async": false,
"encrypt": true,
"inline": true,
"name": "newDocument",
"url": "https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E-6bA_DEUN35CvtcGLcpFUB58-kZglJM/view?usp=sharing",
"annotations":[
{
"text": "John A. Doe",
"x": 102,
"y": 129,
"size": 12,
"pages": "0"
},
{
"text": "October 01, 2021",
"x": 207,
"y": 207,
"size": 12,
"pages": "0"
},
{
"text": "Doe Company",
"x": 72,
"y": 176,
"size": 12,
"pages": "0"
},
{
"text": "John",
"x": 74,
"y": 278,
"size": 12,
"pages": "0"
},
{
"text": "United States",
"x": 288,
"y": 272,
"size": 12,
"pages": "0"
},
{
"text": "Doe",
"x": 72,
"y": 339,
"size": 12,
"pages": "0"
},
{
"text": "United States",
"x": 244,
"y": 335,
"size": 12,
"pages": "0"
}
]
}'
The Add Text and Images to PDF Web API sample code is available here.
It is easy to distinguish the difference between a fillable PDF form and a non-fillable PDF. A fillable PDF form is an interactive PDF form, while a non-fillable PDF is a regular PDF. It is good to know what type of PDF you have when using the PDF.co Web API. Those two PDF types use different parameters to add text.
