This post is going to show you exactly how to take any worksheet or checklist that you’ve created in your design program of choice and edit them so that they’re interactive (the checkboxes are “checkable” and the spaces for people to write and answer questions can be typed in) — use our 10 FREE lead magnet templates to create your worksheet and then use this tutorial to make it interactive WITHOUT programs like Adobe Acrobat!
I get asked ALL the time how to create a printable that someone can actually edit on their computer. The answer is super simple and completely FREE– you do NOT need Adobe Acrobat or any fancy tools to do this and the best part? It incredibly fast and easy!
So what is an editable printable?
I get a lot of people that consider creating a printable in Canva and letting their readers edit it.
There are a few problems with this.
Depending on your audience, they may not know how to use Canva or have Canva account. In fact, unless they are a blogger or online business owner- chances are they have no idea what Canva is.
So creating a chore chart that someone has to navigate Canva just to add their kids’ name is not going to super helpful.
We want your reader to simply be able to click on the document, type in what they need to customize and hit save or print.
Quick wins are the name of the game!
How to create a customizable printable the easy way
Once you have your printable created, you can download as a PDF as usual. Leave any spots that your reader would edit or customize blank.
Side note: need help creating worksheets and workbook style printables? Check out this video tutorial
Next, you’re going to head over to PDFEscape.com
This is a free online program. You do not need to pay anything, you don’t even need to create an account.
Once you are on that website, go ahead and upload your PDF.
Once it’s uploaded, the screen is going to look like this:
*Notice the top left, that’s where you will find your tools.
The tool we will use is called “Form Field”. You will be able to select various types of forms including:
- Text
- Text paragraph
- Checkbox
- Radio
- Dropdown
- Listbox
- Reset button
- Submit button
For most printables, you wil use the “text”, “text paragraph”, and “Checkbox” fields.
Choose the one you want and use your mouse to create the area on the printable.
You will need to repeat that process for every area that you want someone to be able to type in.
You don’t have to reselect the “Form Field” button unless you change the form field type. So, for this example, the top two areas are “Text Paragraph” and then I changed the “Form Field” to “Text” and did each of the bullet points.
The areas don’t have to be perfectly sized, the green will not show up when you download the printable.
Next, I changed the “Form Field” to “Checkbox” and filled in all my checkboxes
Now we will simply click on “Save & Download” once we have filled in all of our editable sections.
Once it’s downloaded, the reader should be able to click on any section and type away! Checkboxes will simply need to be clicked on and a check will appear. Pretty cool, right?
Here’s the finished product:
So, if you have worksheets or planners you want your reader to fill in. Chore charts to edit or budgets with customizable categories– the possibilities are endless.
You can get super creative with this and your reader will be able to edit it with ease!
To further illustrate this tool, please check out the video tutorial below ⬇️
CREATING A FILLABLE PDF FOR FREE!
Posted by Simplifying DIY Design on Friday, June 15, 2018
Want to save a ton of time creating printables? Check out our 10 free lead magnet Canva templates & 3 free worksheets in our design library!
Don’t forget to grab our 10 FREE lead magnet templates to create your worksheet and then use this tutorial to make it interactive WITHOUT programs like Adobe Acrobat! You’ll get instant access to our entire design library that also includes templates for worksheets, ebooks, and more!
Thank you so much, Kara! You have no idea how much time you save me and how much knowledge you give every time you post. And all for free. You’re amazing!
That’s so nice Kristi! Thank you so much, happy I can help <3
I agree with this. I’m in the car with my husband while I’m reading this post and I’m telling him how blown away I am by the info you give away for free. It’s seriously incredible. I’m so thankful for you!
That’s so sweet! Thank you!!
Wow! This is Fantastic! I’m so glad I came across this blog through EBA. I will definitely be using this tool. Thank you so much for sharing.
You’re so welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for sharing! This is exactly the information I was looking for!
Yay! I’m glad it was helpful! Thank you Emilee 🙂
Oh my goodness! This is exactly what I was looking for – thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks Jelica!
I have been dreading learning how to do this, and have taken the easy route by just selling uneditable printables in my Etsy shop. But I realized I need to keep up with the times, lol. I’m SO GLAD I found this article. You broke this down into super easy steps, which I went and tried with one of my worksheets right away. You are awesome!! Thank you so much!
Thank you so much!! I’m so glad it helped!!! <3
Thank you so much!!! I have been searching for this information for so long.
I’m glad it was helpful!! <3
This is so awesome! Thanks for sharing. I was looking for something like this a while back. I will keep this in mind for my next lead magnet.
I’m glad you liked it! Thanks!