| Q1: Does PFPM supports barcode merging? |
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Yes. Barcode merging is similar to Text data merging, except the data appears as barcodes on the generated PDF form. You will need barcode fonts installed on the same machine where you installed PFPM.
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| Q2: My forms template has web links, but they are lost in the resultant file after a print merge. |
Acrobat does not support merging of web links, but you can achieve the same visual and hyperlink effects using Button object. For a sample pdf that implements that, email us.
References:
Launch Acrobat 5, Help menu -> About Javascript Guide - Buttons
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| Q3: After print merging 500 records, I need to print each record separately otherwise my printer will staple all 500 forms set as one huge document, namely 'Printmerge.pdf'. I want my printer to staple each record's forms so that we can mail it each customers. |
Solution 1
Use the Printing Utility (File menu -> Utilities) 'Multipe print jobs per file'. Read its online documentation for details on its use.
Solution2
Use Merge Setup (File menu) and set the number of records per Workfile to "1". This will result in 500 small Workfiles. Then use Printing Utility to print all 500 Workfiles via one print action.
Solution3
If you prefer to email each record's generated pdf file, use Email Setup Icon. You can use this solution in conjunction with Solution 2.
References:
PFPM's Online Help. Merge Setup, Printing Utilities, Email
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| Q4: Do I need the full version of Acrobat 5 to use PF-Printmerge? |
Yes, but there are alternative Adobe products that you can use instead (some at lower cost):
http://pureforms.com/redirects/GoodPrices.asp
If you already have a fillable form, you can run PF-Merge merges using only Acrobat Approval 5 (current market price - $20.00).
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| Q5: How do I become a Dealer for your software products? |
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Contact sales@pureforms.com for details.
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| Q6: I have a 4-page form template with a field called "fCustomerName" on all 4 pages. After merging with one or more records, all occurences of "fCustomerName" in all pages are correctly populated, EXCEPT for page 1. This anomaly manifests itself with some other fields in page 1 as well. I have the same problem in both the Demo and Live version of PFPM. |
Your forms template is malformed. You can use our built-in "SampleForm.pdf", then add "fCustomerName" in all its pages and the data will still merged correctly. This proves that our "SampleForm.pdf" is correctly formed and that PFPM is functioning correctly.
Solution: Recreate your forms template, increment one page at a time if necessary, and see at what point the problem manifests itself. If you have used Acrobat to join multiple forms templates into one big forms template, your reported problem may occur. Create a single "big" non-form PDF file, with all necessary pages, then add all necessary fields.
References:
PFPM's Online help, see Troubleshooting.
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Q7: Does your dealership program requires minimum sales commitment?
Your commission schedule lists ascending commission percentages against quantity sold. Does the quantity that I resell resets to zero annually? |
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No and No.
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| Q8: I have a 5-page forms template that I merged with 100 records, resulting in a big 500-page resultant file "pfPrintmerge.pdf". Now I want to print it, but I also want my printer to staple each 5-page forms set for each unique customer. I tried sending "pfPrintmerge.pdf" to printer, but my printer thinks that is one print job, so it tried to staple 500 pages as one document, failing badly. |
Use your 500-page "pfPrintmerge.pdf" as input to our Print Utility. The "Print file as multiple print jobs" is the utility you want, set "pages per print job" to 5-page. Press F1 in the Print Utilities dialog box for additional online help.
Print utilities are access via File menu -> Utilities -> Printing.
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| Q9: I cannot install your Demo on my Windows 95 and Windows 98 machines. |
To install on Win95 / 98 you need the free DCOM component from Microsoft. Go to our web page to get the download link of DCOM:
http://www.pureforms.com/sales/sales.htm
Microsoft has included DCOM in their newer operating systems: Windows 98SE, NT4, 2000 and XP. PFPM does run on these newer operating systems.
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| Q11: I am using a very old piece of contacts management software. Does PFPM support it? |
If your software can export its data as an Excel or TEXT file, in any of the major formats (comma delimited, tab delimited, xls, etc.), PFPM will support it. E-mail your software web site`s URL and we shall reply with specific answers.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of database platforms that PFPM supports:
Desktop Databases: Micorosoft Access, Excel, Outlook, Exchange, FoxPro, Paradox, Dbase, Goldmine, Act!2000, Text files, xml, Paradox, Lotus-123.
When you buy the Access version of PFPM, you also get FREE support to over 10 other data sources, as listed under "Desktop Databases" above.
Enterprise-class Databases: Oracle, IBM DB2, MS SQL Server, Sybase, Informix.
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| Q12: PFPM works fine with most of my forms template, except those that has a password. |
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PFPM cannot open a password protected PDF file. Use a copy of your forms template that has the password removed.
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| Q13: Do I need to install Acrobat to use PF-Printmerge? |
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Yes, you need the full-version of Acrobat 5 to use the print merge function of PFPM.
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| Q14: Can I install PFPM on a server for all network users to use? |
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No. Acrobat 5 is not licensed for server use and this constraints PFPM"s licensing to per machine only. You need to buy the full-version of Acrobat 5 to use all the features of PFPM.
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| Q15: Can PFPM be used on the Internet? |
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You can put PDF files generated by PFPM onto your web server for Internet access. However, PFPM is not accessible via the Internet.
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| Q16: There are a few software similar to PFPM, what is the compeling reason to use PFPM and not the others? |
The few other print merge software out there are all based on TEXT file method and require programming for each changing PDF file. These have serious drawbacks:
1. The Text file is an extract of your data. Once extracted, changes in your source data must be manually refresh to keep the Text file up to date. In other words, the Text file is staled the moment it is manually created.
2. Programming - demands programming skills in various languages and databases, thus increasing cost.
3. Work only with Text fields, cannot merge radio buttons, combo box, list and check boxes.
PFPM does not have the above drawbacks. You simply login to your database and the connection is live, so data is reflected back in PFPM whenever you run a merge. No programming is needed. You are ready to generate a resultant merged file in under one minute for most simple to intermediate merges.
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| Q17: File menu > Utilities > Join works, but how do I control the sequence of my 5 PDF files joined? |
Files are joined in alphabetical order of the file names.
Temporarily rename your files, e.g., aFile3, bFile2, cFile5, dFile1, eFile4 will join those files in the "a,b,c,d,e" prefixed order.
References:
Online Help on Join.
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| Q18: Do you have a web page that let me know how much commission I made? |
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Yes. After you have contracted to become a dealer, you will have access to web pages that you can check on commissions status, etc.
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| Q19: Is your Evaluation/Demo version less capable than the live version? |
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They are identical. The Demo version simply add the words "Demo ..." to the output. You can activate the Demo into a Live version by entering the serial number, which is automatically issued at the end of the purchase process.
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| Q20: Your web site indicates that PFPM will work under Windows NT4, but I cannot even install it on NT? |
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This only occurs if you login to NT with insufficient administrative privileges. Login as Administrator, then retry PFPM`s installation. This answer applies to the other Windows operating systems as well, e.g., Windows 2000.
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| Q21: I have PFPM running fine on my machine, but wanted to download your latest version. I installed the new version fine, but now I have two copies of PFPM on my machine. What can I do to avoid the confusion? |
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You should have uninstalled the old version prior to the new installation. Read the online help on uninstalling PFPM. In your case, please uninstall both versions, then reinstall only the latest version. Follow the instructions on the screen as you go along.
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| Q22: PF-Printmerge cannot login to my MS Sql Server2000. I used the same user name and password and was able to login using Microsoft Enterprise Manager. I am using Windows 2000 and Visual.Net. |
Under "Server Name" enter the IP address\Netsdk, .e.g. 105.22.23.5\Netsdk or myPCname\Netsdk. When you tab out of "Server Name" field, PFPM will displayed its list of databases, if login is successful.
References:
Online Help
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| Q23: Your PF-Printmerge generated a resultant file using my forms template and DB2 database. However, we do not want any of the fields to be modifiable by our users. Can your product do that? |
Yes. PFPM can be set to generate all fields to be Read Only.
Alternatively, you can set PFPM to generate files as "flatten" i.e, all form`s objects are set non-modifiable, permanently. Moreover, flatten files are up to 90% smaller because it needs not retain information about any field, which is now "flatten".
To get to Flatten: File menu > Merge Setup > Flatten checkbox. The checkbox is also found in Email Setup, accessible by clicking the email icon. Use the Email Setup approach only if you plan on doing emailing.
References:
Online Help on Flatten, Read Only, Merge Setup, Email Setup.
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| Q24: Your PF-Printmerge generated a resultant file using my forms template and Oracle database. However, we do not want any of the fields to be modifiable by our users. How can I do that? |
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See Features category for a similar question with answers.
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| Q25: PFPM merged my data and form template fine. I then modify my form by adding Acrobat`s built-in formatting settings for SSN, Telephone# and Zip code. When I ran the merged again, PFPM did not accept the formatting. What can I do if I must keep my formatting so that the output looks professional? |
In brief: Do not use Acrobat's built-in formatting feature, use custom scripts instead (samples, see Reference below). Do not hard-code formatting characters in your data, e.g., do not type your data as "$20.00", just type in "20".
The built-in Acrobat formatting settings (Number, Percentage, Date, Time, Special) do keystrokes filtering, besides formatting. The keystrokes filtering is causing the problem. Therefore, you need to type in Javascript in Acrobat to do formatting, do not use Acrobat`s built-in formats.
You do not need Keystrokes Filters because you are not typing in the data, PFPM is posting data for you. If Keystrokes Filter is turned on and your data fails to match it, you will get runtime error messages for each record merged. Each bad record will appear merged, but the fields that caused the error will either be blank or contain data from the previous record. If you do not use Keystrokes Filter, then at least the bad data is posted "as-is" without runtime errors.
We have sample Javascript codes you can cut/paste into Acrobat to achieve similar formatting effects. We provide support on custom formatting to registered users only. However, you can e-mail us for a sample of such codes to verify the above assertion.
If you need specific help on formatting, before buying PF-Printmerge, please e-mail support@pureforms.com and we may extend support to your specific case.
Note: Due to an Acrobat`s limitation, formatting and custom Javascript are not supported when you set PFPM`s Language to non-English.
References:
The following PDF's "fText1" field has the sample scripts. To view script, switch to Form Design mode while in Acrobat > double-click at "fText1" field > Format tab > Custom script.
Multiple Examples
Currency Format Script
Copy the relevant script over to your target PDF field. Remember to change the script so that it points to your target field name, instead of our "fText1" field.
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| Q26: How do I generated/print a 2-up form (8.5 x 5.5" for each post card form) onto a 8.5 x 11" paper, using PF-Printmerge? |
You can achieve a similar effect using PFPM in conjunction with a printer that supports 2-up printing. PFPM merges only 1-up forms, but you certainly can print a 1-up form as a 2-up form, Using an example, here is how it is done:
1. Create a postcard and print it out as an Acrobat file that is 8.5 x 5.5", i.e., 1-up and just half the paper size.
2. Create your form`s fields on that Acrobat form and use it as the forms template.
3. Use PFPM to print merge your records onto the 1-up Acrobat form. Once completed, you get a "pfprintmerge.pdf" as the resultant file.
4. Print the resultant file, but set your Printer to print in 2-up.
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| Q27: I cannot get Acrobat`s Date Format (d-mmm-yy) to work with PFPM? |
PFPM can work with any date formats, but you cannot use Acrobat`s built-in Date Formats because they also do Keystroke Filtering. Since you are using PFPM to post data rather than type in data, Keystroke Filtering is not applicable. You need to do the following 2 steps to use date formatting with PFPM:
1. Set your computer`s Windows 2000`s Regional Setting correctly, via Start > Settings > Control Panel > Regional Options. Other Windows versions are also set in the Control Panel.
2. Type in a one-line Custom script instead of using Acrobat`s built-in formats.
You will need to e-mail support@pureforms.com for sample files and screenshots, since each international region uses different date formats.
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| Q28: I downloaded your Eval and merged successfully using my Access database and PDF Forms. However, I notice that some of the fields failed to merge - appeared as blank instead. |
Eval version of PFPM will replace ONE pdf field (per page) with the word "Demo ..." instead of merging the actual data. The "live" version does not has this limitation.
If you encounter the same "problem" in the "live" version, it may be because your data is actually just empty/blank.
Acrobat has a "Form Design" and "Runtime" mode. If you were in "Form Design" mode, you will not see any correctly merged data on the form. Solution: Click at the Hand Icon to switch to "Runtime" mode. In other words, this is a usage error, rather than a PFPM error.
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| Q29: Can I merge two database fields into a single PDF field using PF-Merge? |
Yes. You use a "View" database object to accomplish it.
In Microsoft Access, "view" is called "query" object. In brief, you just concatenate two real table`s fields into a single virtual field in the Query object.
Download example, a Microsoft Access database.
References:
Access` online help "Query" object. For other database platforms, see its online help for "View".
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| Q30: Can PF-Merge merge images (graphics)? |
Yes. PF-Merge can merge images of file types: jpg; tif; bmp. These are respectively jpeg, tiff, bitmap graphic files. Each merging database record should has one field that contains the location of the image, i.e., the image is located outside the database.
References:
Online documentation: Press F1, search by keyword "image".
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| Q31: Can PF-Merge auto-fax out each generated PDF file? If yes, how do I set the fax#, cover page, etc.? |
Yes, PF-Merge supports the auto-fax of generated PDF file. Most of the features you requested, and many others, are available via "Fax Setup".
References:
Online help: keyword "fax".
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| Q33: Can PF-Merge generates password/encryption protected pdf files? |
Yes, PF-Merge`s security features are similar to Acrobat`s. When you set a user/master password, the pdf is automaticaly encrypted.
This is a very useful feature because many states require an emailed document to be encrypted if it contains client`s medical or financial data.
References:
PF-Merge`s online help, "security".
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| Q34: I tried your PF-Merge and it merges our Oracle data correctly into our 6-page form. What if I have pre-printed "blanks" in our printer and want PF-Merge to print only the merge data onto the "blanks"? Is that possible? |
Use Microsoft Word to create blank pages, as many pages as your 6-page form (form#1). Then print it out as a pdf file, let`s call it form#2. Now copy all data entry fields of form#1 onto form#2.
Open form#2 in PF-Merge and use it as your source PDF template. The generated pdf`s can then be printed out to your pre-printed "blanks".
References:
Online Help "Printing Utilities".
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| Q35: I highlighted (annotated) certain text in my forms template. The merge went successfully, but the highlighted text was not reflected in the resultant PDF file. What's happening? |
Acrobat's forms engine that spawn pages during a merge does not handle comments (annotation). The work-around is first to flatten the highlighted text before running the merge. The steps are:
1. Make a copy of your forms template. Remove all form fields and do steps 2-6 on the copy.
2. Add a dummy page, preferably at the beginning or end of the forms template.
3. Add a button that when clicked will flatten everything, including the button itself.
4. Click the "flatten" button to flatten everything.
5. Delete the dummy page that contain the "flatten" button
6. Paste all fields back from your original PDF to the copy.
At the end of step#6, the copy would look identical to the original PDF, but all comments are now flattened and they should remain highlighted in the resultant PDF file after a merge run.
Click here to download a copy of a sample "flatten" button. Just copy the button to your forms template copy at step#3 above.
Note: Flattened comments look identical to the original highlighted comments in Acrobat6 only. Acrobat5 has a bug which makes the flattened comments to be an outlined yellow rectangle around the highlighted text.
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| Q37: PF-Merge works fine with my Acrobat 6 forms until I tried opening a form#1 I created today. Form#1 is a join of two smaller forms, form#2 and #3. Both form#2, #3 individually works fine with PF-Merge. Is this a bug? |
Yes, but an Acrobat 6 bug. Form#1 is malformed for use in PF-Merge, although Acrobat 6 is more forgiving and can open form#1. If you had created form#1 from PDFWriter directly, it would be well formed. However, your form#1 was created from a "join" of form#2 and #3. Acrobat 6 did not do the join perfectly (it did not clean up its generated code after the join).
Solution
Open form#1 using Acrobat 6, then from File menu > Reduce File Size > (Acrobat 5/6 or later). This action will compact the file. The compaction process will also re-parse the PDF internal codes and in the process fixed the Acrobat 6 anomaly due to the "join".
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| Q38: I created some mappings on machine#1 and now I want to copy them into machine#2. Can that be done? |
Yes, but this is not officially supported. Here's how:
Copy the following files from machine#1 to machine#2.
1. "Preferences.pf"
2. The entire folder "Maps", which has some hidden files. Copying the entire folders will ensure that those hidden files are also copied.
Both #1,2 are found within your installed PF-Merge folder, typically at drive "C:\Program files\pfPrintMerge".
3. All files referenced in each of your map must also be copied over to machine#2, into identical location/directory paths as machine#1.
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| Q39: Is PF-Merge compatible with Adobe Designer6? |
No, and "it is Adobe Designer6 fault". Here's why:
When you name a form field as "field1" in Designer6 and then save that form as a PDF file, Designer6 rename each field to something you did not named! It renamed it into a format that is not consistent with Adobe Acrobat itself. When you try to open the PDF in PF-Merge, no fields will be detected because of the "mangled" field names by Designer6. This "mangled" field names issue has been reported by numerous users in Adobe Online Forum.
If you must use Designer6, instead of the full version of Acrobat, to design PDF forms, then the solution is to undo the renaming by Designer6. You do that by launching the PDF form (using Adobe Acrobat) and rename each field name to its original name.
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| Q40: I installed and registered PF-Merge successfully, but my merged output is (or sometimes) still showing the "Demo..." words in one of field. Should I retry by re-registering? |
No. The reason for the problem is because you attempted to use the Fax/Scheduler features in your registered PF-Merge. Those features are not part of the standard PF-Merge; they are add-ons and must be purchased separately.
The solution is to relaunch PF-Merge and during that session do not click the Fax/Scheduler icons. If you do, that will trigger the Demo mode for the rest of the session. Relaunching PF-Merge will reset the Demo mode back to "live" for your registered PF-Merge.
Note: You can still evaluated the fax/scheduler features, but in Eval mode. Relaunching PF-Merge will reset it to licensed mode.
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| Q41: Is PF-Merge compatible with Acrobat version 8? |
Yes. Forms created with Acrobat 8 or older can be used with PF-Merge.
PF-Merge needs the following to run its merges: Acrobat 5/6/7/8, Acrobat Approval, others.
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