PDF Kit fills a PDF with each person's answers. You can start from a form you already use, such as an official state form or a Word document, or design the report in the BlockSurvey builder. Every PDF is digitally signed, and you can preview, edit or email it from any response.
Create a PDF report
Open your survey and go to Settings > PDF Kit.
Click Create PDF report.
Choose how to start:
Classic BlockSurvey Template: a ready-made layout with the response details and every answer.
Create with AI: describe the report and AI drafts it from your questions.
Import a document: upload your own PDF or Word form.
Saved Reports: start from a report you already made for this survey.
Import your own PDF or Word form
Choose Import a document and upload a PDF or .docx file up to 10 MB. You can rename, replace or remove the file before you continue.
What happens next depends on the file:
A fillable PDF keeps its own pages. BlockSurvey reads each blank on the form and matches it to a question, for example Matched 8 of 22 fields.
A Word file, or a PDF without fillable fields, is rebuilt by AI as builder blocks, for example AI matched 5 of 6 fields. This uses AI credits.
Note: Password-protected PDFs, XFA forms and scanned pages can't be imported. Save the form as a standard PDF or Word file and try again.
Map the fields on your form
After a fillable PDF is imported, its pages open in the builder. Blanks that still need a question show + Map field, and the Design tab shows how many are left, for example 3 to review.
Click a field on the page.
Under Choose the data field, pick what goes in it:
Answer: a question's answer. For questions with parts you can pick one part, for example Applicant name > Last name.
Fixed value: text that is the same on every PDF, such as your licence number.
Fill later: you type it in for each response.
Set Format to Original, UPPERCASE or Title Case.
Under If the answer is empty, choose what prints when there is no answer: (Blank), N/A or ---.
Check the result with Preview with, which fills the field with a real response.
Click Save as template.
To clear a field, select it and click Remove mapping.
Edit a PDF report
In Settings > PDF Kit, open the ⋯ menu on a report and click Edit. The report opens as Edit PDF template. Make your changes and click Save changes, or Cancel to leave it as it was.
Type @ in the report name to add an answer. Each response's PDF is then named after that answer, for example the applicant's name.
Use the PDF Kit card on a response
Open Responses and click a response.
Find the PDF Kit card below the answers. If the survey has more than one report, pick one from the list. A Sent label shows when the PDF has already gone out by email.
Open the ⋯ menu and choose Preview, Edit PDF or Send.
The card also tells you when something needs attention:
1 field to fill in: the report has Fill later fields that are still empty.
1 answer cut off: an answer is too long for its box on your form. Shorten it or make the box bigger before you send.
Note: Edit PDF changes the report itself, so your edits apply to every response that uses it.
Email the PDF to the respondent
Click Send (or Send again) on the card to open Email to respondent.
Check the recipient. BlockSurvey fills it from the response's email answer. To send it to another address, choose Someone else.
Set Sender name, Reply to, Subject and Body. Use Recall to add answers, such as the person's name in the subject.
Under Attach a PDF Report, you can edit, swap or remove the attached report.
Click Send.
Note: Data lookups and expressions can't be used in this email. Recall answers and variables work as usual.
Signed PDFs and who can use PDF Kit
Every PDF is digitally signed by BlockSurvey. If anyone changes the file later, Adobe Acrobat Reader or macOS Preview shows that it was modified.
PDF Kit is available on paid plans.
Team members need the Download responses permission to see the PDF Kit card.
AI sample responses can't be filled or sent.
Example: PSP-13 licensing form
A licensing office asks for its PSP-13 form for every applicant. The team imported the fillable PDF, and BlockSurvey matched the applicant's name, email and date of birth to the survey's questions. They set the office details as fixed values and left the review date as Fill later.
Now each response has its own filled form. The reviewer opens the response, fills in the date on the PDF Kit card and sends the form with Send.
Tip: Name the report @Applicant name PSP-13 so each PDF is easy to find in your inbox.
To send the PDF automatically with your notification emails, see How to attach a PDF report to email notifications.
If you are still running into issues, contact us at [email protected] at any time.