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Can't make default form properties stick

sonipitts
Registered: May 31 2010
Posts: 5
Answered

I'm trying to create fields in a pdf created on Mac OSX via Word --> Print --> Print (not Save As PDF). with customized property defaults. (I'm using Adobe 8.2.2 Pro - I selected 8 in the dropdown box on the submit page, because 8.2.2 wasn't offered as an option)

I have set the default properties for text boxes that I want several times, and clicked the option to save these properties as defaults. But no matter how many times I've done this, when I print a new document and create form (using autodetect), the properties are back to the normal defaults (none of my property changes that I set as default are saved or used). If I reset the property defaults in a document and then go and manually create a new text box in that same document, it works. But when I create a new one, the defaults don't stick. So the defaults are being saved within a document, but not for any new documents.

I have been able to make this work on Windows using Adobe 9, no problem. Is there something I'm missing about the Mac or 8 version?

UPDATE: Tried another test and found that if I create a text box manually in a new document, the properties are included. It's just an issue with the autodetect creation of text fields. Any idea how to fix this glitch? I have to create several forms a month using an unholy number of identical text boxes each, so doing them all manually is really only a last ditch option.

My Product Information:
Acrobat Pro 8.0, Macintosh
gkaiseril
Expert
Registered: Feb 23 2006
Posts: 4308
I would look at another authoring tool like OpenOffice.org's Office. Look for the blog post about this product. You and not only export the document but it will also retain the fields created in OOorg. This product is also compatible with MS Office documents.

George Kaiser

sonipitts
Registered: May 31 2010
Posts: 5
I don't create the fields in Word, but rather in PDF. Changing the word processor wouldn't help me, unless this is a known incompatibility issue with Word (which it doesn't seem to be, at least for Windows versions, since I can make this work on my PC's versions of the programs.

Also, I've had some problems in the past with Open Office recognizing and correctly rendering the custom Word template I have to use.