How to Use and Get the Most Out of Jotform Smart PDF Forms

You can turn your PDF or document-based forms into a convenient, user-friendly online form that you can publish and respondents can access anytime. They can fill it out and submit it easily from any device—no downloading or printing required. Once submitted, the data are securely stored and accessible through your account, where you can view and get a copy of the Original PDF Form layout, now filled with the submitted information.

Creating Smart PDF Forms

You can create a Smart PDF Form in a few easy steps. Here’s how to do it:

1. On your My Workspace page, click on Create on the top-left side of the screen.

2. In the window that opens up, click on Form.

3. Now, click on Smart PDF Form.

4. On the Smart PDF Forms page, under the Upload tab, drag and drop a document from your device or click on the blue Upload Document button to start uploading it.

Once it’s done uploading, you’ll see the online form on the left side of the Smart PDF Forms page, and then the Original PDF Form you uploaded and its generated form on the right. This creates a new asset in your account, which counts as a form, and you can then Customize the Style, Set up the Fields, and Configure the Settings.

Publishing Your Smart PDF Form

Once you’re done building your Smart PDF Form, you can start collecting submissions with it. In a few easy steps, you can copy your Smart PDF Form’s direct link so you can share it externally via email or messaging applications. Here’s how to do it:

1. While on the Smart PDF Forms page, click on Publish in the blue navigation bar at the top.
2. Now, under the Quick Share tab on the left, click on Copy Link in the Share With Link section on the right.

You can also share your form via email within the Smart PDF Forms page. Here’s how to do it:

1. While under the Publish tab on the Smart PDF Forms page, click on Email in the menu on the left.
2. Now, on the right, click on Share on Email in the Email Form section.

3. Then, in the Email tab, update the details in the Email Subject section to set your subject line and customize the Email Content section for your message.

4. Next, go to the Recipients tab and enter the sender name, reply-to email address, and the recipient’s email address to complete the email setup.
5. Once everything is set, click on Send at the bottom.

Here’s what each Share on Email setting is for:

• Email Subject — By default, this shows your form’s title. You can update it to match the subject line you want to use.
• Email Content — This includes a default message with your form’s direct link or custom URL, if enabled. You can personalize the message for your recipients using the editing tools at the top.
• Sender Name — This shows your account name by default, but you can change it to something else, for example, John’s Repair Shop.
• Reply-To Email — This is set to your account’s email address by default but can be updated to another one.
• To — Enter the email address of your recipients here.

Your configuration in the Send On Email section resets every time you close it. To send your form via email with the same details, click on Send Another in the confirmation window after successfully sending one.

You can also have your Smart PDF Form available on your website so visitors can fill it out and submit it right there. You can copy its embed code in a few easy steps. Here’s how:

1. While under the Publish tab on the Smart PDF Forms page, click on Embed in the menu on the left.
2. Now, on the right, click on Copy Code, or select a different embed method first, and then paste the code into your website’s source code to embed your form.

Viewing and Downloading Submissions on the Original PDF Form

Without downloading it first, you can view the Original PDF Form populated with form submissions within your account. Here’s how to do it:

1. On your My Workspace page, click on Type at the top and in the Dropdown menu that opens, uncheck the boxes next to all the assets except Forms, so only they’ll be shown on the page.

2. Hover your mouse over your Smart PDF Form and click on More on the right side of the page.
3. Then, in the Dropdown menu, under the Data column, click on Create PDF Document. You’ll see Open PDF Editor instead if your form had at least one PDF Document created for it previously.

4. In PDF Editor, go to the Original PDF tab and click on the Right Arrow or Left Arrow icon at the top to view the next or previous submission.

5. Now, click on Download in the top-right corner of the screen and select Download PDF to get a copy of the Original PDF Form populated with the submission you’re currently viewing. Selecting Download All will send a copy of the Original PDF Forms for all the submissions on your Smart PDF Form in a zipped file to the email address linked to your account.

Another way to access PDF Editor to view submissions on the Original PDF Form is from the Smart PDF Forms page or any page where an asset or page linked to your Smart PDF Form is open, such as App Builder, Workflow Builder, Inbox, Tables, or Report Builder. Open the App Picker menu at the top of the page next to the Jotform logo and click on PDF Editor in the menu that opens up. That’ll redirect you to PDF Editor.