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[tickmike]

If I download a pdf on line, How Do I Make A 'Read Only'pdf Writeable Under Linux 
I cannot see any way of changing the properties !.

[geep]

Don't properly understand the question. 
Have you an example of a .pdf that you can't write to?
What application are you wanting to use to do the writing?
I found this - http://www.itworld.com/software/67561/4-ways-edit-read-only-pdf-files
I've used flpsed on Linux to "edit" .pdf - but it only allows you to add data - like filling in a form.

Cheers,
Peter

[roseway]

There are numerous Linux utilities for changing various properties of PDF documents, but if you want full editing capability it gets more difficult. One possibility is to convert it to html for editing, and there's a utility called pdftohtml which does this job. It's part of a package of utilities called poppler-utils.

[tickmike]

Don't properly understand the question. 
Have you an example of a .pdf that you can't write to

Cheers,
Peter

Thanks both.
Sorry for not making it more clearer, last week my wife had a 14 page pdf job application and today I downloaded this
http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/images/Third%20Party%20Claims%20Form_tcm44-21866.pdf
Both need filling in and emailing back to sender, but they are 'read only' so it would be nice just to fill it in and send it back with out printing it off, filling it in , copying it and packaging it up again as a pdf, send it.

Edit, I can save the download as a text file but you loose the format/page stile.

[burakkucat]

Maybe silly question time in The Cattery but how do you propose to sign those edited documents, Michael? 

[silversurfer44]

Aha! I have done exactly what you want myself tickmike.
First print the PDF to file which gives you a .ps file.
Import that file into SCRIBUS, where you can add the required information to the boxes.
Having done that you can export the file out again as a .pdf file.
The only way to put a signature on the document is to paste a copy of the signature onto the document.
If the company will accept such a document is another matter.

This is also why I question the authencity of printed signatures.

[tickmike]

Maybe silly question time in The Cattery but how do you propose to sign those edited documents, Michael? 

Good point 

@ss44
I installed 'Scribus' from my package manager.
You said Print to file .ps , But what had you got the file opened in to save it to file ?.
I tried opening the pdf in Libre office>Print to file .ps> open it in Scribus>= Error .

[roseway]

I would suggest that you open the pdf in a proper PDF reader rather than Libre Office. Okular is one of the best.

[silversurfer44]

Yes, Okular is the one I use and simply print to file from that.
Usually I right click on the .ps file and use the 'open with' menu option.
The problem that Scribus has is the layout of pages that are saved with different .pdf viewers.
As Roseway suggests, use a dedicated application to open the .pdf
The method does work, I have used it on a number of occasions.

[geep]

http://www.freepdfconvert.com/pdf-word will convert it to MS Word or Google document format which you can edit

But I wouldn't mess around trying to edit the .pdf at all. I've occasionally had reasonable success by first converting a .pdf to images, (use Imagemagick - convert file.pdf file.png will create a .png for each .pdf page) and use the images as page backgrounds for either Word, Powerpoint, OpenOffice or similar. Then just enter your data over the top of the background image.

Cheers,
Peter