Issues filling forms in PDFs

Pretty much all of the PDF readers I have tried will work for form filling, however I have some similar issues with all of them.

I mainly use Okular or Atril.

Issue 1 is when filling out multiple fields in a PDF, it becomes extremely slow, to the point of typing some text, and having to wait for 5-10 second for it to show up and I can continue.

Issue 2 is that both Okular and Atril will insert the text with a much larger font size and/or different font than the document. Even in cases where the fields have some pre-populated text, if I touch the field, the font changes. Sometimes the change is significant enough that the text is not readable, or makes surrounding elements not readable.

The best way I have found that works is to use FireFox. The form filling in that works fast and doesn’t mess up the fonts, but the way FireFox handles saving PDFs is tedious. I can’t just click ctrl+s to save, as it prompts me to choose a location to save at and makes me overwrite the original file every time, rather than just editing it in place.

Is there any PDF reader that people are aware of that does not have these issues? Or is this something that is weird with my setup?

I’m running Debian 12 with the KDE Plasma desktop environment

pineapplelover,

Either firefox or libreoffice draw

Jtskywalker,

Draw is great, and I’ve been able to use it for most of what I used Acrobat for before, but it has issues with converting certain documents, especially when they have special fonts. Also there’s the issue of not being able to just fill out some fields and then share it back as a PDF

paradox2011,

I’ve been looking for a decent PDF editor on Linux for years. Like you said, there are plenty that will basically work, but I always have issues with font mishandling.

So far I’ve just settled on using a windows VM with adobe for editing PDFs (along with one other windows only program that I need.) There is a way to get Adobe PDF software working in linux, but I haven’t tried it.

If you need to sign PDFs, xournal++ is an excellent app for applying a saved signature as a stamp.

shreddy_scientist,
@shreddy_scientist@lemmy.ml avatar

I just screenshot the PDF in fullscreen and then use kolour paint to add in text, it’s worked well for me.

JoMiran,
@JoMiran@lemmy.ml avatar

I do a lot of PDF work which requires edits, encryption, etc. Unfortunately the only solution I found that worked for me was a paid one. I use Code Industry’s Master PDF Editor.

lapislazuli,

My upvote goes to Master PDF Editor as well. Only PDF reader/editor that can do annotations and notes sufficiently well, in my very personal opinion.

Jtskywalker,

I’m not opposed to paying for software, especially if it’s good. I’ll try that out and see how it is. Thanks!

shortdorkyasian,

I’ve been a user of Master PDF for years now. It’s my go-to for PDF markup in Linux. Their yearly renewal can be kinda wonky, but their customer service has been excellent.

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • linux@lemmy.ml
  • localhost
  • All magazines
    •
    Loading…
    Loading the web debug toolbar…
    Attempt #