Hi,

I can create locked PDFs, but I would like to leave some fields
editable for people to fill in before they print the document.

How and what sort of fields?  Meaning, text, date, picklists and so
on.

Assume that I've got the Adobe Acrobat creation package.

Thank you.

/Lizardnation

Hi there.

The first step is to create the basic PDF document with no fields
(e.g. by printing from Microsoft Word, etc. to Adobe Acrobat
Distiller).

Then, you should go into Adobe Acrobat to view the file.  Make sure
that the "editing" toolbar is visible by the other tools at the top
(it's the toolbar that shows, in order, the following tools: "movie
tool", "link tool", "article tool", "crop tool", "form tool", and
"touch-up text tool".) If this toolbar is not visible, right-click in
a blank section of the toolbar area and click "Editing" -- this should
make it appear.

Click the "form tool" button.  Then, in your document, click and drag
to draw the size of your field.  When you let up with the mouse, an
options window will pop up allowing you to set what type of field it
is (textbox, checkbox, list, etc.), the fonts used in it, and other
details.

Once you have created all of these fields and dragged them to where
you like, you should click File: Document Security.  Choose "Acrobat
Standard Security" and a pop-up window should appear.  If you want a
document that is generally uneditable and prohibits "extraction" (e.g.
copying and pasting from it), check the middle two boxes at the bottom
that mention these two concerns.  It is imperative that "No Printing"
and "No Adding or Changing Comments or Form Fields" are both left
UNCHECKED for your purposes.

Enter a password in the second box above ("Master Password") if you'll
want to change these settings later (this I recommend.)

Take care, and please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

--Joey

Search strategy: personal experience

Complete answer! :-)

Thank you.

/Lizardnation