How to disable signature messages in Acrobat forms?

Question

I was using LiveCycle to create and store about 100 forms for my company. Recently I started redoing all the forms in Acrobat Pro v9 so I could use the same field names in merged documents, something I couldn't do with LiveCycle.
Adobe Reader users are complaining about dialogue boxes and menu bar messages directing them to "Click 'Sign' to fill out and sign this form. When done, ou can save a copy by checking 'Done Signing'." There are no signature fields in any of the documents, although Acrobat's form wizard inserted many during the original creation of the document. I removed all signature fields and substituted them for plain text fields. Apparently though, the original signature fields leave behind a remnant that warns users about them ... even though they no longer exist.
What can I do get rid of this warning in the new forms I've created and ensure that signature fields are not inserted when I create new forms using the form wizard?

Answer 1

I'm experiencing a similar problem. I've created an interactive (but not reader-enabled) PDF with form fields and radio buttons using InDesign CS6. When my office distributes this PDF to users for them to fill out, we explain that they must be sure they are using version XI of Adobe Reader if they want to fill out the form and then electronically save it. But this "Click 'Sign'" message is giving people the false impression that they can use version X of Reader. Here is what is happening:
When I open the PDF using Adobe Reader XI, I see a message in a purple banner--"Please fill out the following form. You can save data typed into this form."--which is what I would expect to see. Great!
However, when I open the PDF using Adobe Reader X, I see a message in the purple banner which says, "Click 'Sign' to fill out and sign this form. When you are done you can save a copy by clicking 'Done Signing'." Moreover, when I click into the first form field to begin filling out the PDF, a pop-up appears that says "Form Can Be Filled and Signed Electronically," and also reiterates that "When you are done, you can save a copy by clicking 'Done Signing'." The problem with these messages is it gives our Reader X users the impression that they can fill out the form and then either save a local copy or electronically send (with EchoSign) a copy of the file with their filled-in responses; but since the PDF is not reader-enabled (our cumulative user base would exceed the licensing limit of 500), this is not in fact true. Thus, some of these Reader X users end up filling out the form, clicking the "Sign" tab, clicking the "Signed. Proceed to Send" button, and then sending it to us through EchoSign--and we receive a blank form. Yikes!
It would be ideal if there were some way to prevent that "you can save a copy by clicking 'Done Signing'" message from appearing and misleading our Reader X users. Even if we put verbiage on the PDF to clarify that they cannot "save a copy"--at least, not a copy with any of their responses preserved--it is still confusing for the user to get mixed messages.
I've also tried re-saving the PDF in Acrobat Pro 10.1.9, without any security settings, and then again with password protection and restricting changes allowed to "Filling in form fields and signing existing signature fields" (we have to keep the form fields accessible), but those PDFs behaved in exactly the same way.