In-line Images

Adobe Acrobat Sign supports uploading an image file into a place holder field that is defined by the Sender.  This image is captured in the document like other form fields and exists as an extractable file that the Sender can later use:

• Universities can request student images to they can be identified/verified during orientation/testing.
• Real estate forms that require images of both the buyer and seller to be attached
• Hiring processes that demand an image of documents (ID, Social Security cards, etc.)

The In-line Image field can be added to any form using the drag and drop Authoring environment, normal Text Tags, or Acrobat created PDF forms.

How it’s used

For Senders, In-line Images can be added to templates by placing them using the Authoring environment, the use of Text Tags, or editing the name of a text field when building a form in Acrobat.

Image fields work like other field types:

• Multiple unique Image fields are permitted
• Image fields can be cloned and placed in multiple places, allowing field pollination.
• Image fields can be assigned to any recipient role that can interact with fields, including Prefill
• Image fields are included in reporting, and return a URL that points to the originally uploaded image file

Currently, the In-line Image object can only accept a .png or .jpg/.jpeg file.

Using Drag and Drop Authoring

Placing Image fields on a document is best done in the Authoring environment because you have precise control of the field footprint. For highly regulated images like a passport photo, this can be a big deal.

In Authoring, you will find the Image object in the Data Fields section. 

The image field is anchored at the top left corner, and is adjustable by "grabbing" the bottom right corner and dragging the field to the desired width and height.

The final image size is expressed within the Image field.

Text Tag Syntax

The In-line Image Text Tag is uncommon as the tag must specify a height for the placeholder that is greater than the font used to create the tag (which is how field height is normally determined).

The argument to create an In-line Image is :inlineimage(X)

Where X is the number of lines to be added to the field height.

The height of a "line" is determined by the font size used to create the tag.

For example: {{inlineImageEx_es_:signer1:inlineimage(4)}} : height of field = 4 lines

Below is an example of the text tag on the right, and the resulting field on the left.

Keep in mind that the tag anchors the top of the field, and the number of lines added will extend below the line where the tag is described.

This makes precision field sizing somewhat difficult, so if you need to have a precise field size, you may need to adjust the field in Authoring before saving the template or sending the Agreement.

Building forms in Acrobat

Adding an In-line Image when building your forms in Acrobat requires that you insert the Text Tag syntax into the Name property of a text field (minus the braces on each end).

This hybrid approach does two useful things:

1. The size and shape of the text field you place on the form will be respected when the document is generated in Acrobat Sign. This is helpful in assuring your field fits properly into the space allocated without guessing to the number of lines that must be added.
2. The arguments added to the text tag will be respected. This means you can use Showif/Hideif arguments, as well as most other common Text Tag arguments.

How Recipients interact with the field

Recipients will upload their images by Drag and Drop.  Any size image will be accepted, and automatically stretched or compressed to fit into the field borders. 

Once the image is in place, a large X will be visible in the upper right corner of the field.  Clicking this will delete the image from the field and return it to its original state.

In-line Image fields will only accept .png, .jpg, and .jpeg files.

If a different file type is attempted, an error will be prompted:

Useful Tips...

:label()

The :label() argument is particularly useful with the In-line Image field, allowing you to provide a more meaningful instruction to the recipient.

The value passed by :label() will show up in the field during authoring (instead of the field name), and will append to the end of the default instruction.

Adjusting the Measurement Unit

The default unit of measure in the application is inches (in), but can readily be changed to centimeters by the User for their personal use.

Individual users can make this change on their Profile page by hovering over their name in the top right of the window, selecting My Profile, and then clicking Edit to open the profile in edit mode.

Change the unit to the desired standard, and click Save

Administrators can request that the default be changed at the Account or Group level by contacting Acrobat Sign Support.

Extracting the Images

In-line Images can be "extracted" from the form through the Reporting function.

For Senders

• Navigate to the Manage tab, find the agreement with the image you need, and select it with a single click
• On the far right of the window, click the History tab.
• Click the Export Data link

A CSV will download to your browser.

• Open the CSV file (in Excel for most people, but whatever application you use to view CSV files will be used)
• Find the header indicating the Image field. The field name is used in the CSV header
  • The contents of the cell will be a URL pointing to the graphic file. 
• Copy and paste that URL into any browser
• The graphic file will be downloaded to your browser

For Admins

The direct URLs to the graphic file are protected at the User level, and is only available to the Sender of the Agreement through the Export Data link.

Admins that access field content by running Reports will not see a URL. Instead, they will see the raw documentID of the file, and they can extract it using the API.

How to enable/disable

In-line Images are available to business and enterprise levels of service by default. No additional configuration is needed to expose this field type.

If you would like to disable this feature at the Account or Group level, contact Acrobat Sign Support.