Pros and Cons of Interactive and Non-Interactive PDF Forms
PDF files are universal and are the most frequently used digital format for official purposes. For example, workers usually convert Excel to PDF Software for spreadsheets used in daily office work. Apart from the typical content e.g., text and images; PDF format files can also contain forms, audio, video, hyperlinks and navigation bar, etc.
The PDF forms usually have two types. One is interactive PDF form and the second is non-interactive PDF form. Interactive PDF forms are fill-able. The user can easily fill the forms by pointing the cursor on the fields present in the form and directly type the required credentials in them. Whereas, non-interactive PDF forms are those which contain only the plain PDF file with text and empty spaces / lines. In non-interactive PDF forms, fields are absent. It is similar to a usual PDF file, other than the fact that it looks like a form.
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There are certain pros and cons of interactive and non-interactive PDF forms some of which are listed below:
Pros of Interactive PDF forms:
The interactive PDF forms are user-friendly and can be filled easily. A typical interactive form consists of various field types in which text can be typed. These forms offer a broad range of user interactivity. Moreover, interactive PDF forms save time in their filling. The lack of handwritten data reduces paper chase, cost and error. Thus, giving rise to the paperless office culture. These forms are interactive, so anyone can view them by using any of the best PDF readers available online.
Cons of Interactive PDF forms:
Interactive PDF forms cannot be created easily. A user has to use different softwares for their creation. The tools required for integrating interactive elements such as check boxes, buttons, and text boxes in the forms are found in both free and premium versions e.g. Wondershare PDF element, DeskPDF StudioX, PDF forms and Form Docs etc.
Pros of Non-Interactive PDF forms:
Non-interactive PDF forms are simple PDF files hence these forms can be generated easily. Nowadays there are many software tools available that can make the flat form fill-able or interactive. Hence, these tools allow the filling of non-interacting PDF forms without taking its print. For example, the writing feature in Classic PDF Editor can be used for filling these forms.
Cons of Non-Interactive PDF forms:
Non-interactive PDF forms do not contain any interactive elements such as text boxes or checkboxes and cannot be filled easily. These forms are cumbersome and time consuming as a user either needs to print these forms, fill them by hand and then scan it to store it back in the computer or use a PDF editing software for addition of content in the fields.
So, keeping in view all of the pros and cons of these form types, we can conclude that the interactive PDF forms are a better choice. Usually the businesses depend on forms that are required to be filled by customers, vendors and clients, etc. so the cost effective and eco-friendly solution are interactive PDF forms.
