Posts Tagged ifd

I was asked this question again yesterday, and I can’t recall how many times I have been asked about this over the years.

Can you make an IFD from an MDF?

Alternately, “I’ve lost my form design files (IFD’s), can I get them back from the compiled forms?”

The answer to the question is no, you can’t.  And I’ll explain why.

When you compile your IFD into an MDF file for use with Central, what Design does is actually generate the appropriate printer code right then and there.  This is part of what makes it so fast – there’s no interpretation from the design to printer language (or PDF) when you produce your output.

What that means is that when Central is using your form all it needs to do is send that already-generated code to the output target.  It also means that the original design is lost in the process.

So, please, treat your IFD’s as irreplaceable – and keep them backed up.