EasyPDF™ Forms

According to definition, 'Digital Forms Technology' is a subset of Digital Automation focused on converting paper based forms into digital format, enabling easier data collection, processing, and storage of data. While this is entirely true, it fails to include improvement of existing digital forms technology, regardless of format, such as digital form features designed to eliminate redundancy and expedite completion of a digital form in record time while achieving the same or better end results in the process—what EasyPDF™ Forms are designed to do.

In short, a static PDF form is essentially a read-only form whereas a dynamic PDF form denotes a fillable, interactive PDF form consisting of a number of form fields for entering data using a PDF program application like Adobe Acrobat or PDF Reader like the free Adobe Reader.

An eForm, aka electronic or digital form, is the computer equivalent of a paper form designed to capture, validate, and submit data in form processing. For example, a PDF form is essentially an eForm.

An EasyPDF™ form is a PDF form designed and developed in Acrobat complete with form fields, properties, and scripts designed to eliminate redundancy and simplify/facilitate completion of a fillable interactive PDF form in record time on a Windows 10/11 or compatible Apple OS desktop/laptop computer/tablet running the latest version of the Free Adobe Reader. Depending on the type of form, an EasyPDF™ form may also provide an electronic signature field for adding a digital signature to the form acceptable in a court of law in all 50 States. Moreover, when added to the form, a digital signature can be used to render an EasyPDF™ form read-only thereby preventing further changes to the form once it has been completed. The digital format also serves to expedite delivery of the form to one or more intended recipient(s) in an email file attachment.

While the answer to this question should be obvious to most anyone who has ever used and completed a properly designed/developed electronic form on a desktop/laptop computer, the single biggest advantage to be gained using an EasyPDF™ form is normally a dramatic increase in both efficiency and productivity in the workplace when using a properly designed digital form as opposed to using a basic electronic form created in MS Word/Excel or worse yet a paper form that requires hand written completion. It also stands to reason that any time you are able to perform and complete a specific task or project in less time than it normally takes without sacrificing quality, you are able to devote time and attention to complete other important personal/business tasks sooner rather than later.

• Time saved not having to fill-out/complete hand written forms in addition to eliminating redundancy and typo errors attributed to typing the same data, i.e., name, address, phone number, etc. into more than one form field (no longer required) to fill in and complete a digital form.
• Eliminate time wasted/spent in attempting to read/decipher illegible hand written application, order, medical, insurance, claim forms, etc.
• Eliminate having to download static forms in PDF format created in MS Word, Excel, or other software application only to have to print a hard copy to complete by hand and accommodate sending/returning the completed form by fax, U.S. mail, or hand delivery.
• Prevent/discourage customers from using their own created purchase order forms for ordering products or services you provide.
• Eliminate time on the phone fielding questions from customers due to illegible, sloppy, hand written forms and facsimiles that serve to increase the likelihood of errors.
• Easily add a digital signature to the form using the free Adobe Reader thereby eliminating the need to print a hard copy of a fixed (static) digital form to apply a handwritten signature to accommodate sending a signed document to the recipient/s by fax, U.S. mail, let alone having to scan and convert the document/form back to digital format to accommodate delivery in an email file attachment. Absolutely insane!
• Ability to convert a fillable interactive PDF form to a static/read-only PDF form by simply adding a digital signature to the form using the free Adobe Reader (Note: acts to prevent changes to the form once completed and submitted to one or more recipients in an email file attachment).
• Allow customers, company personnel, and others the ability to quickly and easily complete and save changes to a form in record time using the Free Adobe Reader version 2015 or higher on a desktop/laptop computer or tablet.
• Eliminate redundancy, enhance efficiency, and increase productivity in the workplace to save time and money.

Good Question. In brief, unlike most, if not all, digital forms presently on the market, EasyPDF™ forms provide an abundance of never b4 seen form features designed to simplify and facilitate completion of a digital form in record time by:

• Eliminating redundancy in not having to enter/type the same name, address, data, more than once when using the form
• Reducing the amount of typing required to fill in and complete a digital form in real time given form fields with drop-down lists to select text using a mouse or touch pad point and click feature provided
• Similar to the above whereby the end user is unknowingly populating form field drop-down lists in using the form whenever adding a text line item to the list that remains there to be used again
• Providing preformatted form fields to accommodate dates (popup date calendar), phone numbers, zipcodes, etc.
• Reducing the number of steps normally required to perform/complete a mundane operation/task such as moving/adding a column of figures from one column to another (think MS Excel Spreadsheet) with a simple click of the mouse as opposed to using cut and paste repeatedly to perform the same task for each and every form field provided similar to preparing a construction 'Sworn Statement' for a subsequent draw/payout
• Providing auto calculated form fields (similar to that provided by cells in using a MS Excel spreadsheet) to once again reduce time to complete the form as well as eliminate possible errors incurred when having to perform/enter calculations by hand
• Ability to apply an electronic digital signature to a document/form using the Free Adobe Reader whenever a signature/date are required as opposed to having to print the document to apply a hand written signature only to have to convert the signed document back to its original digital format to accommodate sending the document/form in an email file attachment. How lame is that (Note: electronic digital signatures are and have been acceptable in a court of law in all 50 States for well over 10 years)?
• Submitting the digital document to its recipient in an email file attachment thereby eliminating unreliable USPS snail mail, time taken to hand deliver the document, and dated/dinosaur technology, namely fax machines that should have been relegated to the nearest city dump ages ago!
• Never imposing ridiculous restrictions, limitations such as a one-time use for a horrendous amount of money. For example, the American Institute of Architects (A.I.A) charges $43.99 for a one-time use of document G907-2022, Construction Sworn Statement, and other similar documents/forms provided on their website. In our opinion, this is inexcusable for an organization of this size and prestige that has been around since 1857 providing documents/forms for the construction industry. Moreover, the A.I.A. should be ashamed given this is nothing short of corporate greed and a license to extort money for purchasing a digital form that is really nothing more than a basic bare bones data entry digital form with no form features whatsoever to simplify much less facilitate using it. However, lest we forget, you may elect to sign up for an annual subscription and pay over $1500 for the privilege of gaining access to all A.I.A. online construction documents/forms with unlimited use for one year. No Thank You!

Needless to say, the answer to this question is definitely not a one size shoe fits all and as such may vary considerably depending on a number of variables including but not limited to the latest technology available currently used as well as personal/business use and what you are looking to achieve in using an EasyPDF™ digital form. With this in mind, while we are able to provide one proven example from feedback received from a prior customer and two additional examples based on our own experience creating and testing a digital form. The reality is: Regardless of examples yet to be provided, we highly recommend you sign-up for our no strings attached Free 30-day trial offer to see firsthand whether or not an EasyPDF™ demo form you have selected meets your expectations, needs, and performs as intended.

Our first time saving example/story is based on a bona fide testimonial provided on our website received from one, Andrew Waterman, Inside Section Sales Leader for Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Company founded in 1920. Needless to say, the company has been around and survived for a long time with an impeccable track record. In reality, Andy was all too eager and willing to let us know that his sales team had been spending an inordinate amount of time—in some cases as many as 3 days—responding to phone calls and email attempting to resolve issues attributed to illegible handwritten sales orders received from customers to place an order for their product. In short, after spending several months, if not more, creating and testing a digital sales order form to meet Reliable's sale team needs based on Andy's input, sales orders that had once taken as long as several days to resolve issues no longer present, were now able to be taken and processed in ten minutes. As for money saved, while I have no record, I can only surmise that the sales team is now more productive than ever given time saved can be used to focus on other important business that needs to be done.

This example clearly illustrates the time taken to complete and submit a generic universal conditional/unconditional lien waiver in EasyPDF™ digital format in record time compared to time taken by a party working from home for a flooring contractor to find, prepare, print, complete, sign, notarize, and mail a lien waiver to its recipient as follows: According to the party working from home, to find a lien waiver online to complete, print, drive to the bank to sign the form in the presence of a notary public and then drive to the USPS to mail the form took all of 28 minutes—for the record, we believe 60 minutes to have been more realistic but given the outcome, it made no difference. As for testing our EasyPDF™ conditional/unconditional digital form creation, a few words are in order. To begin, only two States in the entire USA, Wyoming and Mississippi, require a notary signature on a lien waiver by law whereas Illinois, the State in which this incident had taken place, doesn't so the trip to the bank to secure a Notary signature was a complete waste of time. Second, electronic digital signatures have been acceptable in a court of law in all 50 States over the last ten years. Given this and how easy it is to create and apply a digital signature to a signature field using the Free Adobe Reader is beyond comprehension as to why more people in business don't know how to do it. Last, a lien waiver is a most basic document/form containing twelve or less form fields to complete by hand or on a computer using a digital form with form fields provided. This noted, one was able to complete, apply an electronic digital signature including the date and submit the form to its intended recipient in 15 seconds flat! How's that for time saved? Your can easily prove this to yourself by signing up for our Free 30-day trial offer and selecting one of our EasyPDF™ conditional/unconditional lien waiver digital forms provided on our website.

The following represents a professional opinion—as opposed to a real life working example—of time saved based on the author's actual knowledge and use of a construction sworn statement decades ago—while employed by a general building contractor long b4 the evolution of computers and technology available today— as well as the author's many years—30 to be exact—creating interactive PDF forms using Acrobat Pro. This considered, based on an abundance of never b4 seen form features provided by an EasyPDF™ digital form clearly defined in an earlier FAQ, the author believes one may be able to save as much as 1-3 hours time using an EasyPDF™ digital construction sworn statement for preparing initial and subsequent draws required over the course of a construction project. In reality, the savings become more noticeable and significant given less time normally required—attributed to design form features provided by an EasyPDF™ Form—to complete any number of subsequent draws using an EasyPDF™ construction sworn statement compared to the time required to complete an initial draw especially when there are several or more subsequent draws remaining during the course of a construction project.

The straight answer is 'No'. To begin, what's least understood is that not all digital forms are easily viewed on a mobile device due to reasons known to result in a poor UX such as the much smaller size of the display in attempting to view and read a digital form much less attempting to complete a fillable form on a mobile device. In most cases, forms specifically designed/intended for mobile devices normally need to be short, brief, easy to view, and navigate with a minimum of amount of scrolling/jumping from display to display to prevent errors/mistakes in the process by inadvertently overlooking/missing some important information provided in viewing the form. As such, the majority of business and job application forms are typically better viewed on a desktop/laptop computer. The same applies to a digital form designed to be completed on an electronic device (think desktop/laptop computer or tablet even if the form may be viewed on a mobile device). It's also important to understand that, unlike Adobe Reader intended for desktop/laptop computers, its mobile version lacks support for many of Adobe's API Javascript methods required to use and take advantage of all the features available in an EasyPDF™ Form. All considered, EasyPDF™ forms are solely designed and intended for use on a Windows 10/11 or compatible Apple computer able to run Adobe Reader version 2015 or higher.

In short, 'No'. Regardless of what you may have read or been told, PDF forms are far from being dead. We should also add that despite what so called advertising industry experts and advocates for mobile phones, SaaS aka the Cloud, Web forms, and AI technology would have you believe, all are overrated not to mention AI is presently a work-in-progress prone to error leaving much to be desired far from the be-all end-all technology soon to replace desktop/laptop computers. Furthermore, storing personal/private information up in the Cloud—some glorified server located outside the USA in China, India, Russia or Timbuktu—isn't exactly 100% safe and secure from a data breach or server malfunction as the advertising media would have you believe. Also, for reasons too numerous to list, web forms have shown time and again they cannot hold a candle to interactive PDF forms not to mention the OS that drives mobile devices is nowhere near as rigorous as that of a Windows 10/11 or compatible Apple OS desktop/laptop computer. For those dependent on their mobile device 24/7, sorry to burst your bubble but aside from convenience and expedience, mobile devices cannot perform all tasks equal to or better than that provided by desktop/laptop computers. I can assure you that telling anyone in the movie or recording industry to get rid of their computers and simply use/rely on their mobile devices that they'll laugh you right out of the room. Last but not least as for those who preach or would have you believe such nonsense regarding PDF forms, they should consider having a lobotomy!

In brief, electronic or eSignatures represent a broad category of methods for signing a document. According to Wikipedia, an electronic or e-signature refers to data in electronic form logically associated with other data in electronic form used by the signatory to sign a document/form that provides the same legal standing as a handwritten signature as long as it adheres to the requirements of the specific regulation under which it was created. According to pandadoc.com, electronic or eSignatures are virtual representations of a wet-signature, one a signer would create with a pen and paper. Similar to the wet-signature, eSignatures are used to identify signers and signify that they agree to the terms outlined above the signature line (Also see 'What is a digital signature').

To once again quote panddoc.com, a digital signature is a type of electronic signature with an algorithm that encrypts the signature to generate a unique digital certificate containing invisible digital codes that make tampering and duplication practically impossible for hackers. Moreover, according to consensus, electronic signatures are more secure than their handwritten predecessors.

Yes, electronic signatures are valid in all U.S. states and are granted the same legal status as handwritten signatures under state laws. ... Only three states (New York, Illinois and Washington) maintain their own independently developed laws, but all of them are consistent with the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA).

Form fields include check boxes, text fields, button fields, list boxes, drop-down lists, etc. as provided in the Javascript™ for Acrobat API Reference whereby number and type of form fields vary depending on the design, graphics, layout, and purpose for which the form is intended. This being the case each and every EasyPDF™ form is unique and as such designed/developed on an individual basis to determine the number and type of form fields that work best to create an expedient, convenient, and reliable eform for use in the Free Adobe Reader.

Apart from script driven popup menus containing any number of menu items, other Javascript form feature enhancements when provided often serve to satisfy a specific need/feature provided by an EasyPDF™ form. Once again the number and type of scripts can vary considerably whereby each and every EasyPDF™ form is designed and developed on an individual basis to determine scripts deemed necessary that work best to satisfy the needs of the end user to complete the form in record time using the free Adobe Reader without experiencing any issues.

To begin, EasyPDF™ forms are guaranteed to be free of viruses, malware, and promotional software that can be installed on an unsuspecting user's computer without their permission. However, if you should have any reservations regarding downloading an EasyPDF™ Form, you may use a reputable antivirus/anti-malware software application to test and verify whether or not the PDF form is clean. This noted, regarding PDF forms in general, the answer is a resounding 'Yes' especially if and when a PDF form contains Javascript written with the intention of spreading a virus. However, in reality this normally requires your computer to have a program application like Adobe Reader with Javascript enabled to allow a PDF document containing a virus written or activated by Javascript to infect your computer. This noted, as already stated, a PDF form can be easily checked for potential viruses/malware using an anti-virus software application like Windows Defender along with a reliable anti-malware program like Malwarebytes. Once again, while we can assure you that EasyPDF™ forms are free from viruses and malware, please feel free to verify this matter for yourself as suggested herein.

In reality, the most common reasons for a website address link failure are: 1) the website address has been spelled incorrectly or doesn't exist, 2) the website address is not preceded by https:// or http://, 3) the password field has been left blank, duh?, or 4) the website address or business no longer exists (Note: In the case of the former, the browser will often display a 404 error).

We were actually 99.9% sure that someone was going to sooner or later ask this question given 15 seconds to complete and send a lien waiver to a recipient as advertised elsewhere on our website is a pretty tall order to say the least but able to be done using EasyPDF™ lien waiver. Here's how. First and foremost, in order to be able to complete and submit a digital lien waiver to a recipient in under 3 minutes is dependent on four prerequisites, namely: 1) the lien waiver to be used has to have already been used for completing and submitting a previous lien waiver and saved to a folder on your computer with a name such as projectname-draw-1.pdf, 2) the project for which the lien waiver is intended remains the same. In other words, you are preparing a subsequent lien waiver for the same project, 3) you need to know how to apply a digital signature to the form using Adobe Reader, and 4) you have an active internet connection already set up and ready to send and receive email. If and when you have fulfilled these (4) prerequisites, it becomes a simple matter of opening the digital lien waiver in Adobe Reader that you previously completed and saved to a folder on your computer. Once the form is open, you need only edit 4-5 form fields at most, add a digital signature to the digital signature field provided, rename the form projectname-draw-2.pdf and save the completed form to a folder on your computer. BTW, adding a digital signature automatically renders the form read-only removing the main popup menu from the form thereby preventing the recipient from making any further changes to the form. When finished, simply save the completed read-only form to a folder on your computer awaiting to be sent to the recipient in an email file attachment. If a 3rd or subsequent lien waiver is to be required for this project, you will simply repeat the above process whereby removing the digital signature will once again render the form editable and restore the main popup menu to the form. Lest we forget, to remove the digital signature from the form simply right-click the signature form field to bring up a context popup menu and click 'clear signature'.

Before you first open an EasyPDF™ form in Adobe Reader whether it is a free trial or licensed copy of the form, you need to make sure JavaScript is enabled. To do so, when you first open Adobe Reader, click on the menu with the three horizontal bars located in the top left-hand corner of the form to open/display the menu and select/click 'Preferences'. Next, select/click 'JavaScript' to open/display another window and check the box next to 'Enable Acrobat Javascript' and 'Enable Javascript Execution Privileges'. Once done, close the 'Preferences' window to return to the main menu and click 'Open' to go to the folder where you saved the EasyPDF™ form you downloaded to your computer to select/open it in Adobe Reader. Once open in Adobe Reader, you will be ready to navigate and use the form.

First and foremost, before you can even think about creating and adding an electronic digital signature to an EasyPDF™ form, the form first needs to have a digital signature form field to support adding a digital signature to the form. This is important to note since depending on the form's intended use not all EasyPDF™ forms provide a signature form field. For example, EasyPDF™ digital lien waiver provides a signature form field whereas EasyPDF™ password manager doesn't. This makes total sense when you think about it given a lien waiver requires a signature whereas a digital form designed and intended to organize, manage, and store passwords doesn't. Next, to create and add an electronic digital signature to a signature form field provided by an EasyPDF™ form using the Free Adobe Reader is actually quite simple and straight forward where all you need to do is right-click on a signature form field—containing a red arrow indicator located in the upper left-hand corner of the form field—to bring up a context menu. Next, click 'sign document' to choose or configure a new digital signature by following prompts with instructions. While there exist a number of electronic digital signature providers online, creating/adding an electronic digital signature using the Free Adobe Reader should be sufficient for most.

In short, a completed and signed EasyPDF™ lien waiver may be submitted to a recipient in several ways, namely: 1) A hard copy of the completed form containing a digital or handwritten signature sent via fax or snail mail (Not Recommended), 2) hand delivery considered a complete waste of time given today's technology, 3) in an email file attachment containing an electronic digital signature rendering the form read-only—recommended and most efficient (Note: Whatever you do, DO NOT send a completed unsigned form in its native digital file format in an email file attachment since the form's data content may be easily modified using the Free Adobe Reader).