Product Support
Use of the Acrobat Reader® Program
Download Patches and Form Updates
Welcome to the Illinois Forms System! Like many other programs, this program is meant to be very user friendly.
First, select the type of form you want to fill-in or print by using your mouse to click on one of the tabs. You can choose from Corporate forms (BCA), Limited Liability Company forms (LLC), Limited Partnership and Limited Liability Partnership forms (LLP), Not-for-Profit forms (NFP) and Miscellaneous forms (MISC.) such as the Application for a Federal Employer Identification Number or an Application for a Professional or Medical Corporation License.
Highlight the form you want to use by clicking on its name or number. You can use the scroll bar on the right to display more forms. Click and hold the left mouse button while dragging the scroll button. You can only work with one form at a time.
Once a form is selected, use the mouse to click on the Fill-in Form or Print Form buttons. You can also hold down the Alt key and type the underlined letter.
When the selected form appears on the screen, the cursor will either be in the shape of a hand, an ‘I’ or an arrow. To start filling-in the form, move the cursor to the area where you want to add information. The cursor will change to an ‘I’ when it is over a part of the form that accepts text. Click the mouse once, then start typing the information. Once you have finished typing the entry, use the tab key or the mouse to move to the next field. You can use the scroll bar at the right of the form to see and complete more of the form. To change an entry, click on the data to be changed and retype it. When you have completed all of your entries, click on the form until the cursor changes to a hand, then select print. To return to the form selection screen or quit, click on the ‘File’ menu command.
When you are done adding information to the form, select the File command from the menu and then the Print option. In most cases, you will not need to set up your printer first.
After the form has printed, you can select Print again to print another copy of the completed form, Return to Selection List to work on another form, or Exit to quit.
Use of the Acrobat Reader® Program
This program uses the Acrobat Reader Program® to allow you to view and print the various forms provided with the Illinois Forms System. The Reader program is free and can be freely distributed by you. It may also be installed on any number of computers in your offices. You may have previously down loaded it from the Internet or installed it with this program. As a trade-off to the cost, the Reader program is very limited in its features. You will not be able to save the information you type into a form for future use, import or export data or modify the form.
Some entries on the form do not print.
The program doesn't work on a network.
How can I save a form I have filled-in?
Can I use the PDF form files in my word processing program?
Where are the menus for the Acrobat Reader program?
When I select Fill-in Form, the form doesn't come up on the screen.
We have found that on some computers there is a problem bringing up the forms when you select Fill-in Forms. If you are having this problem on your computer, click here to download the patch file. Simply save this file to your Illinois Forms System directory. It will overwrite one file in that directory and should correct the problem.
How do I get to the bottom of the form or the second page?
You can move through the forms by either using the scroll bars on the right and bottom of the form or the hand icon. For the scroll bars, while holding the left mouse button down, drag the scroll bar to display the desired area or page of the form. When the cursor appears as a hand, you can also use the left mouse button to grab on the form and pull it to the desired location.
Some entries on the form do not print.
Once you enter information on the form, you must Tab to the next field or click elsewhere on the form to register the information.
The program doesn't work on a network.
The Acrobat Reader® program is not made to run on a network. therefore, you must install it on the local machine before you will be able to use it with the Illinois Forms System program.
How can I save a form I have filled-in?
The Acrobat Reader® program is very limited in its capabilities. It does not allow you to create, modify or save forms or the data you have typed into the forms. If you need to add information to a form after printing, you will have to either reinput the information, type the missing information of the form with a typewriter (as you would have done without this program) or hand write the missing information.
Can I use the PDF form files in my word processing program?
No. The PDF file format is only compatible with the Acrobat Reader® and Acrobat Exchange® programs.
It is very important that you register your program. We will be offering forms updates to registered users as forms are changed or new forms are published by the Secretary of State, Internal Revenue Service and Department of Professional Registration.
Where are the menus for the Acrobat Reader program?
In order to access the Acrobat Reader Help file, or change the screen view for the Acrobat Reader program, you will need to toggle its menus on. To do this, while the Reader program tool bar is on the screen, hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys and type the letter "m". To turn the Acrobat Reader menus off, hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys and type the letter "m" again. Once the Acrobat Reader menu choices are displayed, do not exit the Acrobat Reader program through these menu options. Exiting in this manner could cause the program or your system to freeze or crash.
Technical support for this program is available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. by contacting the authors, Jeff McDonald or Lin Hanson at (847) 698-9600.
Additionally, you can fax your questions to (847) 698-9623 or email them to support@ilforms.com.
Lin is a University of Michigan graduate, both undergrad and law.
He wrote the original
Lin has served on the Illinois Secretary of State committee on business laws since its formation in 1981, and currently serves as its Secretary. He served on the sub-committee that wrote the recently completed revision of the Illinois Limited Liability Company Act. To obtain a copy of the new act, click here.
Lin is a past Chair of the ISBA Sections on Law Office Management and Business Advice and Financial Planning.
Email Lin
Jeffrey S. McDonald
Jeff is a partner with Lin Hanson at DiMonte & Lizak. Jeff concentrates his practice in the areas of business planning, mergers and acquisitions, and estate planning. Before joining DiMonte & Lizak in 1994, Jeff was a Cook County Assistant State's Attorney, prosecuting white collar crimes.
In addition to being a practicing attorney, Jeff is a Certified Public Accountant. He received his undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Notre Dame, a masters degree in Taxation from DePaul University and his law degree from The John Marshall Law School.
Email Jeff
