PDF Document Management Software, Services & Support

How do I "Clean Up" a PDF form that fails to merge?

ANSWER: You may receive a PDF form that does not merge and produces errors. This is generally due to "mal-formed" PDF files that have been created by software other than Adobe's Distiller. We usually run problem files through Distiller as a way to "clean" them up. Listed below are instructions for running your file through Distiller:

• Open your PDF in Acrobat and remove all the form fields
• Go to the File Menu > Hit Save As
• Give the file a new name
• Under Save As Type, choose PostScript File (*.ps)
• Open Distiller and browse for this file or go to the directory where the file exists and double click on the file - this will open and run Distiller
• Once you have your "distilled file", open both the original file and the distilled file in Acrobat.
• You need to copy and paste all the form fields from the original file onto the distilled file:
• To do this under Acrobat 6 or 7, you need to go to the Tools Menu > Advance Editing> Select Object Tool
• Hit Ctrl+A or go to the Edit Menu>Select All (all form fields will be highlighted)
• Hit Ctrl+C or go to the Edit Menu > Copy
• Open the distilled file and hit Ctrl+V or go to the Edit Menu > Paste - at times when you paste fields onto a page, they are not in the exact location, so you will need to move the fields around on the page - You will need to copy and paste the form fields for each page following the steps mentioned above.

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Last updated: Friday, February 6, 2009