[thelist] Merging an FDF and a PDF

[aardvark]

>From: Scott_Brady at themoneystore.com
[...]
> We are setting up an application where a potential new client signs up to be a
> client.  We require a tax form to be signed by them and sent back to us.  To do
> that, we want to automatically e-mail them the PDF form already filled out for
> them to print out. Using Cold Fusion (cfobject, primarily), I have managed to
> create an FDF with the updated field values for this client.
> 
> My question is this:  How can I merge the fdf and the pdf so that I can just
> e-mail out the merged PDF?  [there is a program called PDFMerge (I believe)
> which accomplishes something like this, but we're not able to spend $2k for this
> feature]
[...]

i have *no* idea if this will help, but i use FDF files over here for a 
different reason...

my scenario (haven't done this in a couple weeks, and i've been 
doing weird db stuff this week, so my memory is a little off tonight):

- created letterhead in application of choice... exported as PDF, 
imported as annotation into PDF contracts we send out so i could 
stamp it onto the page, branding our PDFs (generated from Word) 
with our letterhead...

- so i created an FDF file which is effectively a document that 
contains the (letterhead) annotation (from my first document)...

- when i distill a new PDF, i go into Acrobat and go (from memory 
again) File > Import > Annotation and choose the .fdf file that i 
want... it automatically inserts the (letterhead) annotation on every 
page in my PDF (up to the original number of pages in the FDF 
file)...

- from there, when i lock down the document, i always disable the 
ability to change or remove annotations...

... ok... this is all manual, and i don't know how to automate it for 
your needs, but it's late, i wanna help, and that's what i do with 
FDF files... so...

yer on yer own...