What are PDF files?

Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) is a world standard for the display and distribution of electronic documents. Using Adobe's free Acrobat Reader, you can view PDF documents on just about any computer. With web pages, the printed and on-screen appearances may differ greatly, but with PDF files what you see on the screen is what you'll see on paper when you print it out. It is ideal for forms needing to be filled out, emailed, printed and faxed.

PDF files with interactive forms

PDF files can now contain interactive forms. That is, the forms can be filled in online. But this technology is still relatively new and there are some things to keep in mind.

In order to save a filled-in PDF form you must fill in the form using Acrobat Professional or an inexpensive third-party product such as PDFill. You might find it worth your while to get one of these products, especially if you want to attach your filled-in form to an email.