This on-line document describes one of several methods for computer-assisted completion of NSSAR membership/supplemental application forms.

One major advantage of this method is that it uses Adobe's Portable Document Format.  

From the very beginning of this project, the author has endeavored to produce an end product which will serve the Society's future needs, while not abandoning the needs of Members whose computer hardware and software are no longer on the "cutting-edge" of technology.  Thus, a major factor in the decision to undertake this development in Adobe's Portable Document Format was that the format works with the following operating systems: MS Windows, Apple Macintosh, and Linux.

Background

For the last several years, there has been a growing need for capabilities to prepare SAR Membership Applications using computers.  Four such programs have already been approved for use, the third of which is the program described here.

Several years ago, when the author was Chairman of the NSSAR IT-Internal Subcommittee, it became apparent that methods of preparation of membership applications that would support computerized transfer of the application data to reviewers and ultimately to NSSAR databases would be important contributers to an overall objective of driving down the costs of processing applications, while at the same time reducing transmittal cycle time.  With the Portable Document Format technology employed for these forms, we crossed the threshhold of achieving some of these objectives.

Program Description & Demonstration

Welcome to THE SAR APPLICATION.  Clicking the link will allow you to view an image of the Adobe .PDF version of the current application form, Form #0915.   While you're there, please feel free to print a copy of the form.  You may use it as a worksheet.

Your computer must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, version 3.01 or higher, available free from http://www.adobe.com  Note that the free Acrobat Reader does not permit the saving of work in progress; so if you want to use this form to do a "real" Membership or Supplemental Application, please have all of your information ready and close at hand when you start.   A completely filled-in SAR Application Worksheet would be appropriate.  

Both the Application and the Youth Life Membership forms discussed here have an added feature, a "Clear Form" button, which can be found on the back of the form.   Note that the "Clear Form" button does not show on the printed form.   This feature eliminates the need to reload a fresh copy of the form when a user is preparing forms for multiple applicants.

NSSAR Form #0915 & Youth Life Member

If you visited the form at the beginning of this page, you have already seen an image of the pre-printed form.  To see the version into which you can enter your data, Click here.   For the Youth version, Click here.   You will note that as you move the hand over the form, the hand turns into an I-beam when it is at a location on the form where you are allowed to enter data.  If you click on a location where the I-beam appears, the cursor will appear in the field on the form, at which time you may then enter the appropriate data for that field.  

You may also note that there is no logo on the form.  The logo has been deliberately deleted as part of the author's solution to the "blurry logo" problem discussed later in these release notes.   A high-resolution version (300 dpi) of the logo is available on a separate page, so you'll have to download it only once.   To see the page with the logo, Click here.   To download and save a copy, use a right (button) click instead and follow the ensuing "Save Target As ..." instructions.

The author has tested the form successfully with Acrobat Reader and Netscape Communicator, using the Linux operating system.  At least one user has reported success with the Apple Macintosh operating system.

Printer Setup Requirements

The form described herein is designed to produce output that is an exact match of the NSSAR pre-printed form, with few, if any exceptions.  The most notable exception is that the obsolete instances of "19" on the back of the form have been replaced with "20".

If your system does not produce a printed form that can be overlaid on the pre-printed form with an exact match, you must employ some critical changes in your printer setup.   Typical problems you might encounter are:

Problem #1 - Form output too narrow.  Solution:  Your printer setup should include "Fit to Page Size" = "Inactive", "Shrink to Fit" = "Check Box Toggled Off", and "Fonts + Text Mode" = "True Type as Bitmaps".  If you have done this configuration properly, the right-side margin of the front page and the left-side margin of the back page should be approximately 0.3 inches.

Problem # 2 - Logo is blurry.  When printing from Adobe Acrobat Exchange or Reader v. 3.01 to a PCL printer, graphical images are downsampled to 72-75 dpi to increase printing speed.  Solution:  Go to the Adobe Web Site, download and then install Acrobat 3.01RA (Amber), which will change the downsampling to 150 dpi.  This enhancement produces a printed logo with adequate resolution.   Later versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader may allow for this adjustment, please refer to Adobe Acrobat website for further information.

Exporting/Importing Your Form Data

If you have the full distribution of Adobe Acrobat, you already have the capability of saving work in progress and resuming it later via the Export/Import capabilities of the Adobe Exchange program.  If you export your data in Adobe's Form Data Format, you will also be able to import the same data into the Cox Software computer program for preparation of membership applications.

If you have Adobe Acrobat Reader, available free from the Adobe Web Site, you have no capability of directly saving work in progress, i.e., "File + Save" or "File + Save As".  You can, however, "Suspend" your work in progress and "Resume" later, if your computer system supports that capability.

If you have installed and configured your web browser to use Adobe Acrobat Reader (or Exchange) as a plug-in (rather than as a helper application), you will be able to use the interactive capabilities of the latest versions of the form available to registered users through the author's web site.

Note:  This capability is not available on the NSSAR web site.

This work is the result of nearly four years of work by the author, who, with his wife Antoinette Jones Segraves, presented non-exclusive distribution rights for the previous version on the NSSAR web site as a gift to NSSAR at the 109th Congress.

The author appreciates the encouragement of IT Board Chairman Ralph D. Nelson, whose cooperation played an important role in helping to bring this project to fruition.   The author also wishes to thank Former IT Board Chairman Sam W. Boone, Jr. for bringing Adobe's Portable Document Format technology to the attention of the IT Committee and for his early efforts on demonstrating the feasibility of the approach.

The author appreciates the cooperation of Westerfield-Bonte Company for their making the application files available to the author.

The author also wishes to thank Compatriot Ray Cox of Cox Software for providing in his program the capability of importing data in Form Data Format (FDF).