When we open a new online account with a bank or an e-commerce account, we are often asked to fill in and sign a contract. To sign the contract you need to sign by hand, then a PDF is sent to be printed, filled in and sent by ordinary mail or by fax.
If the service is at the forefront, however, it is also possible to sign the contract digitally and send it by e-mail or PDF.
In other scenarios we will instead be provided with a questionnaire or a form to be completed in its entirety, always in PDF format: in these cases the sheets to be printed can be numerous, slowing down productivity (since afterwards we will also have to scan them to be able to report them in PDF compiled).
In order to fill in the PDF forms provided without the need to print documents, various programs and websites are available to carry out this task.
In this guide we will show you the best programs and sites to fill out PDF forms without printing.
In this way we will be able to receive any type of document to be completed or signed and act directly from the PC, smartphone or tablet, saving paper and ink.
The programs and sites recommended in this guide are all free and can also be used in the office without problems.
READ ALSO: Sign PDFs and documents for free with Acrobat DC on PC, tablet and mobile phone .
1) Adobe Acrobat Reader
The most famous program for managing PDFs is undoubtedly Adobe Acrobat Reader, omnipresent on every computer.
Once installed on your computer, all we have to do is open the PDF and compile it and, in the right sidebar, select the Compile and sign item .
Alternatively, we can also click at the top on the Tools menu and select the Fill in and sign .
When opening this menu we will see the original PDF change slightly, with the fillable fields and the fields where you can insert any signs highlighted in blue or yellow.
If we need to sign a document, simply click on Signature -> Add signature at the top, click on the field where the signature is required and wait for the Adobe signature menu to appear.
We type our signature inside the field or we upload a drawing or an image of the same, so that we can obtain a more realistic signature.
When the signature application is complete, click Apply and Save at the top to save the completed and signed PDF.
If we want to sign or compile PDFs from smartphones or tablets, simply download Adobe Acrobat Reader for Android and iOS for free.
From the app, simply click on the PDF file to be compiled, then select the pencil-shaped button at the bottom and click on the item Compile and sign .
To fill in the fields we can use the Ab button, the tick button and the fountain pen-shaped button (for signatures).
2) PDF-XChange Editor
Another very useful program for filling out PDF forms without printing is PDF-XChange Editor.
After downloading and installing it on the PC, start it by looking for its name in the Windows Start menu, then load the PDF to be modified by clicking on the top File -> Open .
Immediately after uploading the editable PDF, a bar will appear at the top with the words " This document contains fillable fields "; be sure to highlight these fields by clicking the Highlight Fields button on the bar.
Now all that remains is to scroll through the pages, so as to find the fillable fields (highlighted in blue).
To affix the signature, go to the part of the document that requires it and click on the top Sign document or, alternatively, go to the top menu Fields -> Signature .
READ ALSO: Insert text on a pdf by filling in the fields on the computer
3) LibreOffice
As an alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader we can use the LibreOffice office suite.
With this suite we can upload PDFs and edit them simply and immediately, using the Draw program.
After installing LibreOffice we search for the Draw program in the Start menu, then open it and select the File -> Open menu in the top left corner.
From the file manager window we select the PDF file to be modified; it will be loaded into the interface, with all the pages clearly visible in the left sidebar.
To make changes, simply click on the fillable fields and type on the keyboard; to add signatures instead we can upload a photo of the same by clicking on the top menu Insert -> Image .
4) SmallPDF (site)
What we have shown above are the most effective free programs to fill in the forms and sign on PDF documents that have arrived at work or at home, after having registered for some important service (for example a bank).
But in addition to the programs, it is also possible to use sites to affix online signatures, very useful in scenarios where the company PC is blocked and does not allow adding programs.
In this case one of the best websites is without a shadow of a doubt SmallPDF, the best tool for creating PDF files online for free, which offers two pages dedicated to PDF signing and PDF editing.
We choose the most relevant page for the modification we intend to carry out, then we drag the PDF file into the window, so as to load it immediately inside the interface.
Once loaded we can add text to the fields using the Add text button at the top, affix signs with the Draw button and finally affix a signature using the Add image or Draw buttons.
If instead we use the page of SmallPDF dedicated to the signature, simply upload the file in the interface then click on Signature at the top.
To affix the signature we can draw the signature freehand (very difficult), upload a photo of the signature or take a photo of the signature through the camera.
After completing the changes, click Apply and Save, so that we can download the new PDF compiled in each of its fields.
5) FillAnyPDF.com (site)
Another site that we can use to edit PDFs is FillAnyPDF.com, with which we can fill and sign the document directly online .
FillAnyPDF requires the registration of a free account with which it is possible to upload the PDF file which contains fields to be filled; without registration, however, it allows you to edit a single document by clicking on the Edit a document button .
A new window will open, where you can drag the PDF to be modified; alternatively we can always open the file manager with the Browse button.
In a few minutes the PDF will be loaded into the interface and we can make all the necessary changes, using the buttons on the top bar of the site: to write, we use the Type button, to put signs we use the Draw button while to sign the document we use the Signature button.
At the end of the changes we can print the file using the Print button at the top or download a copy of the modified PDF by clicking on the Download button.
If we are looking for other sites and programs to fill out PDF forms without printing, we invite you to read our guide below.
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