Specifying white space around the edges of a form

In a traditional printed document, margin refers to an area around the outside edges of the page where no printing occurs. In interactive forms, the term margin refers only to the buffer of white space around the inside edges of an object’s border.

To increase the amount of white space around the outside edges of a form, you must reduce the size of the content area on the master page. By default, the border of the content area is 0.25 inches from the edges of the form. To create extra white space in which to place a header or footer or to make adjustments to support printer limitations, you must make the default content area smaller.

The area bounded by the content area determines where objects can be placed on the pages of a form. The default subform on a page is the same size as the default content area on a master page, and the margin settings of the default subform are set to 0 inches. Changing the margin settings of the default subform on a page also influences where objects are positioned. Increasing the subform’s margin settings decreases the area where the subform’s objects may be rendered.

View full size graphic
A.
Objects can be placed on pages inside the area bounded by a content area. The border represents the edge of the content area.

B.
This area external to the content area represents white space on the page.

All of the objects that you place on a master page are displayed on each associated page, regardless of whether you place those objects inside or outside the content area. If you are setting up a watermark, you place the objects that make up the watermark inside the content area.

If you are designing a form that contains subforms that flow content, and you do not want the objects on the master page to interfere with objects that are placed on pages, you must position the master page objects outside the content area; that is, somewhere on the white space that you create on the master page. If you place objects inside the content area, other objects may be placed on top of the master page objects when the form is rendered.

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