Making fields visible when filling out form but not when printing

[montyny]

I have been using PDF-Xchange editor for several years but rarely created forms. I have a document that I have added fields to and I wanted them to show as fields in the editor but not when printed.

Interestingly I noticed a difference between PDF-XChange and Edge / Adobe. Initially I gave up and explicitly gave the fields a different background and default border.

However, I had another field that I added recently and gave that a white background (to overlay existing text) and zero width border. On XChange it does not show as a field, which is Ok. If I save the pdf, opening it in Edge, it does show a different background and border. If the field is not changed and printed - nothing shows on the preview to indicate it is a field - great! However, if the field is changed, then the print preview now shows a border around the field. Is there a way to prevent this happening? In this case it is showing a border within a border (cell).

Thanks - Bryan

Unwanted border:

image.png

Initial attempt - that was ok for these type of fields:

image(1).png

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, montyny

Just as an opener, the only thing you need to do to make a field visible in fully featured PDF software, but hidden when printing, is to change this option while the field item is selected (using the "select fields" tool):

image.png

Now, as for what you report with MS Edge. Edge is not yet a fully functional PDF handler. Infact, most web browsers are not and still only have early implementations which do not fully understand the PDF specification. Form creation is a particularly difficult area to address, and it sounds like in your situation, Edge is not retaining the field properties as you have set them.
However, When I tested with the attached file on this end, Edge seems to work fine after modifying the field content, so it could simply be that you are missing some windows updates, and this is a new addition for them.

Created by Editor.pdf

image(1).png

Modified by Edge.pdf

image(2).png

image(3).png

If the issue persists after you have installed the latest Windows updates, I would like to ask for two copies of a document that has this issue.

• One copy of a file which we have made in full (new document > place field > add your needed edits), before any changes have been done in MS Edge, and
• One after those changes have been made.

Following that, screenshots of the same section of both documents in the respective Editor and Edge print preview windows, like I have provided above.

Kind regards,