Fillable and flat PDFs—what’s the difference?

Not all forms are fillable. Sometimes form creators don’t convert their PDFs to interactive fillable forms. Or they intentionally design a form that you can fill in only by hand or with the Adobe Fill & Sign tool. These non-interactive forms are called flat forms.

An interactive form contains fields that you can select or fill in, eliminating the need to print the form and complete it by hand.

Use Docusign to fill out a PDF form and sign it

You can use Docusign to quickly scroll through an interactive, fillable PDF and to fill in all necessary fields. Docusign detects the fields and lets you tab or arrow from field to field. This eliminates the time-consuming and wasteful steps of printing the file, using a pen to fill out and sign the form, and scanning and re-uploading the file for return sending. Instead, use Docusign to complete, sign, send, and store your PDF forms.

Complete, sign, and send your PDF form for free

It just takes a few easy steps to use Docusign to complete and return your PDF forms. First, get the free trial and sign in. (If you’re using your mobile device, you can download and use the Docusign app with your trial account.) Then, follow these steps to complete and return your form.

How do I fill out a PDF form online?

1. Upload the fillable PDF form from your computer, email, or file-sharing site (like Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive) to your Docusign library.

2. In the Docusign library, highlight the form and then choose Sign and Send.

3. At the Apply Form Fields prompt, choose Apply, which allows you to edit the fields in the PDF.

4. Use the arrows to navigate between the form fields, and fill out and sign the form.

5. When you’re done, choose Finish and Email to send the signed document. Add your recipient(s), and then choose Send.

Benefits of using Docusign to fill out and sign PDFs online

Docusign makes it easy to fill out interactive forms online, without the time-consuming steps of printing, hand-entry, scanning, and re-uploading.

• Fill out and sign interactive PDFs from anywhere, on any device.

• Trust that your PDF form is backed by the most stringent U.S., EU, and global security standards.

• Eliminate printing and delivery costs.  

• Keep your forms at the tip of your fingers—in the cloud.