To prevent users from editing your form fields in a fillable PDF, you must "flatten" or lock the form before saving.
How to Flatten PDF Forms Open fillable form. Add appropriate data. Right click on document and select Print. Select the PDF printer. ( ... Select OK. Specify location to save the printed, "flattened" version of the form. Select Save. File the "flattened" form in CM/ECF.
Under the 'Form' tab, you will find the 'Remove Fields' option. Click on it. A pop-up window will appear, showing all the fillable fields present in the document. You can select the fields you want to remove by checking the corresponding checkboxes.
Make sure that the security settings allow form filling. (See File > Properties > Security.) Make sure that the PDF includes interactive, or fillable, form fields. Sometimes form creators forget to convert their PDFs to interactive forms, or they intentionally design a form you can only fill in by hand.
Follow the steps below to "flatten" a completed PDF fillable form: Open fillable form. Add appropriate data. Right click on document and select Print. Select the PDF printer. ( ... Select OK. Specify location to save the printed, "flattened" version of the form. Select Save. File the "flattened" form in CM/ECF.
On Windows, just right-click your PDF and select Properties > Read-only > OK. On a Mac computer, the process is a little more complex. Select the PDF and click File > Get Info. You can then set access rights under the Sharing & Permissions tab.