FAQs about printing and downloading Family Court forms
What is Adobe PDF?
This format is designed to maintain the layout and format of a document to preserve its visual presentation. Portable Document Format, or PDF almost completely preserve the original layout of a document while also maintaining its searchable content. PDF can be viewed and printed and the form feature used with adobe acrobat. The application is free for anyone to use. However, you cannot complete and save the Court's interactive PDF forms unless you also have a PDF writer which is not free of cost.
I can't save the PDF forms, why?
Unless you have a PDF writer (unlike Adobe Reader which allows you to read the PDFs and comes free of cost) you will not be able to save PDF versions. If you do want to fill out a form and save it to make other adjustments later, use the Microsoft Word versions. As long as you have Microsoft Word, you can save then to your hard drive or a disk.
When I try to download a PDF form I get a black screen
This is probably due to the fact that your browser is not correctly associated with Acrobat Reader
When I try to print a PDF court form I get black bars without text
Make sure your printer set up has the 'raster graphics' option selected and the DPI setting is set at 300dpi, especially if you are using a HP Laser printer.
When I try to print a PDF court form where I have added details, the details won't print
Make sure your printer set up has the 'raster graphics' option selected and the DPI setting is set at 300dpi, especially if you are using a HP Laser printer. Also, make sure you are using at least Acrobat Reader version 4.0.
When I type on an interactive PDF form in one field, then move to another field the text disappears
You need to use at least Adobe Reader version 4.0
How do I save a PDF court form?
You cannot save a form using Acrobat Reader. You need the full commercial version of Adobe acrobat to do this. Go the Adobe web site at www.adobe.com for more details.
Can I use the PDF forms in a word processor?
No, PDF is a completely different file format. Use the MS Word or RTF versions.
I am having problems with installing Adobe Acrobat
There are some common problems you may experience when trying to install the Adobe reader. If you get error messages:
The forms have a large left margin
The left-side margin was deliberately left wide to aid the court staff (and others) when placing documents on files and then being able to read them within the files.
The forms are locked and I can't change the text already on the form
The MS Word forms are deliberately locked so that the users of these forms are able to alter only those parts of the forms that are required to be completed.
When printed, the forms don't print out
Initially forms are not full page length if printed out. However, once the fillable portions are completed the pages do fill out.
The text size is too small
Some users have concerns about the type size. Users are advised to open the document at 120% plus if text size is a problem.
Why can't I type anywhere I want to in the Word forms? I can only seem to type into the grey boxes.
The grey boxes are fields that have been put in to enable you to type your details in. Most of them can be expanded (you can get more lines) by clicking the key on your computer keyboard.
I need more space on the Affidavit to write down my evidence. There is not enough space to type into in the forms that are on the website.
You can attach extra pages at the end of the Affidavit.
When I print the forms they sometimes print off the side of the page.
Check your printer settings. Make sure the box Print to fit page is ticked. Also, with PDFs, tick the Print as Image box.
The forms are up in an RTF version, what is this? How is it different to the other versions?
RTF stands for Rich Text Format. This version is great for people who do not have Microsoft Word on their computer. It should be able to be used in any program. It looks the same, and has the same type in interactivity which allows you to fill the form in.