XFA was a proprietary technology developed by Adobe for use with web forms saved internally in PDF files, but it has been deprecated in the revised PDF 2.0 format and is not permitted for use with special ISO formats for PDF documents. They don’t work on mobile devices and cannot be used with specialized formats like PDF/A. For organizations who interact with legacy XFA documents, it’s important to know the options for converting these forms into usable PDFs. 

Most PDF forms today use AcroForm, which is compatible with a wider range of software applications and devices. While XFA forms can allow for text reflow and interactivity, they have become increasingly isolated over time, and few software products support that format. AcroForms, on the other hand, are widely supported and compatible with a variety of software applications and devices. 

Forms Extension™ is an Adobe PDF Library (APDFL) companion SDK that extends digital document support to PDFs with static XFA, dynamic XFA and Acroform content to quickly and easily import and export form data, lock completed forms to prevent editing, fill databases with forms data, and provide consistent viewing experiences across all devices. 

What are your options when converting XFA forms to PDFs?

XFA Form Converter 

Convert interactive XFA form content to a “flat PDF” so that the XFA content in a PDF can be consumed and processed by PDF processors 

Flat PDF = PDF is view only – the interactivity is replaced by a static file.

PDF with Acroforms = PDF is viewable and the forms are interactive.

AcroForm Converter 

Converts PDFs with Acroforms to flat PDFs so that the Acroform content is view only and can be consumed and processed by PDF processors 

Flat PDF = PDF is view only – the interactivity is replaced by a static file.

XFA Barcode Converter 

Converts barcodes (including QR codes) generated by XFA forms into standard PDF consumable barcodes, images, commands, and outcomes so that the visual representations of XFA form data remain intact and can be consumed and processed by PDF processors. 

Data Importer & Exporter 

Reduce manual errors and processing time by importing and/or extracting field-level form data from external data sources into PDFs that use static XFAs, dynamic XFAs and Acroforms. 

Annotation Preserver 

Handles annotations made within PDFs to ensure that the annotations are visible with the PDF regardless of the PDF viewer. 

Read: 4 Things to Look for in a PDF Forms Management SDK >>

Current Customer Use Cases

Government 

Often governmental departments use XFA forms for registration and application materials (IRS, military, benefits, licensing, etc.). Forms Extension imports/exports data and batch converts this information into standard PDFs for easier storage and viewing online.  Converting XFA to standard PDFs in this scenario addresses issues related to accessibility, usability, and compatibility, ensuring that government forms can be efficiently filled out by a broad user base without any technical barriers.

Software Customer 

One of our global software clients encountered a significant challenge related to their use of XFA forms. These forms had become the standard technology for rendering crucial application objects, such as purchase orders, contracts, or invoices, within their software ecosystem. While XFA forms offered certain advantages, they presented a notable limitation: they severely restricted their customers' access to the underlying data within these documents.

To address this limitation and enhance the user experience, our team implemented a strategic solution – the integration of a Forms Extension module directly into their software. This module was designed with the specific goal of seamlessly converting XFA documents into Acroforms, thereby granting users full and unrestricted access to the content and data contained within these important documents.

Real Estate 

In an effort to optimize and streamline its daily operations, a home appraisal organization embarked on a transformative journey, leveraging the power of Forms Extension. Their objective was clear: to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of their data collection process, particularly when appraisers were out in the field conducting property assessments. The goal was to not only empower appraisers to seamlessly enter data while on-site but also to automate the subsequent process of integrating this data into the appropriate broker PDF forms.

Finance/Banking 

Many of our financial customers use Forms Extension for applications for opening accounts, credit cards and home loans. After customers enter data and submit their information, data is extracted from the forms and the forms are flattened into a standard PDF for viewing and storage within financial workflows.