LPM Tip

Use Adobe Acrobat Standard’s Typewriter Tool and lose the typewriter

Since the advent of word processing suites, the venerable typewriter has served one purpose and one purpose alone: inserting typewritten text into fields on specialized forms. Fortunately for you (and unfortunately for typewriter manufacturers), Adobe Acrobat Standard's Typewriter Tool may finally drive the typewriter into extinction. Used in conjunction with a scanner, Acrobat's Typewriter Tool (found on versions 7 or above) will enable you to insert typewritten text onto scanned forms right from your computer.

To use the Typewriter Tool, scan the form you wish to fill out and save it as a PDF document. Next, open the document in Adobe Acrobat Standard and go to tools>typewriter and select "typewriter." Then, place the curser over the document field into which you would like to insert text and begin typing. Once you have filled in each desired field, simply print your document by pressing the print icon. No more typewriter ribbon and Whiteout.

This tip is courtesy of the 2010 ABA TECHSHOW 60 Tips in 60 Minutes via the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program.

Published August 26, 2010

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