How-to · Automation
How to automate PDF signing, form filling and data entry with Zapier
By the PDFBetter teamPublished 7 min read
Short answer
To automate PDFs with Zapier, open Settings → Integrations in PDFBetter, click Set up in Zapier, add a PDFBetter step to a Zap and click Allow and connect. Two instant triggers and 16 actions and searches then let your Zaps send PDFs for signature, fill form fields, convert, OCR and extract data from files that arrive in Gmail, cloud folders or form tools.
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What can a Zap do with your PDFs?
A Zap is a trigger followed by one or more actions. PDFBetter's Zapier app adds both: two triggers that start a Zap when something happens to your documents, and 16 actions and searches that do the document work in the middle of any Zap. The other apps in the Zap, such as Gmail, Slack or Google Sheets, handle the rest.
| Group | Steps | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Triggers (instant) | Document Fully Signed, Workflow Run Finished | Start a Zap the moment the last signer signs or a workflow finishes |
| Documents | Upload PDF, Fill PDF Form, Download PDF, Find Documents, Get Form Fields | Bring files in, fill fields, look documents up |
| Pages and files | Merge PDFs, Split PDF, Compress PDF, Convert PDF, Make PDF Searchable (OCR) | Shape the file before it goes anywhere |
| Signatures | Send PDF for Signature, Get Signature Request, Download Signed PDF | Send, track and collect signed copies |
| AI | Summarize PDF, Ask a Question About a PDF, Extract Data From PDF | Turn a PDF into text or fields the next app can use |
Both triggers are instant: PDFBetter tells Zapier the moment the event happens, so the Zap doesn't wait for the next polling check. The three searches only read. When nothing matches, they return an empty result, which you can branch on with a Zapier filter.
How do you connect PDFBetter to Zapier?
There's no API key to copy. Zapier signs in to your PDFBetter account through PDFBetter's own consent screen, and one connection serves every PDFBetter step in every Zap.
- 1
Open Integrations
In PDFBetter, click Settings at the bottom of the sidebar, then Integrations. Under Zapier & Make, click Set up in Zapier. Zapier opens in a new tab.
- 2
Add a PDFBetter step
In the Zap editor, choose PDFBetter and an event, for example the Document Fully Signed trigger or the Compress PDF action.
- 3
Sign in and allow
When Zapier asks for an account, sign in to PDFBetter. The consent page lists what Zapier will be able to do and how many runs your plan includes. Click Allow and connect.
- 4
Check the connection
Back in PDFBetter, Zapier now appears under Connected apps in Settings → Integrations, with when it was connected and last used.
The Zaps act as the account you were signed in to when you clicked Allow and connect. If the consent screen shows the wrong account, click Use another account first. Teammates connect their own accounts.
Zap 1: how do you file a signed contract and tell the team?
This is the Zap most people build first. A consultancy sends a statement of work for signature; the moment the client signs, the signed copy goes into the client's folder and the account channel hears about it.
- 1
Trigger: Document Fully Signed
Pick PDFBetter and Document Fully Signed, then test the trigger so Zapier has sample data to map.
- 2
Action: Download Signed PDF
Map the signature request from the trigger. The step returns the signed copy as a real file; choose the audit certificate instead if you want that filed too.
- 3
Action: upload to storage
Add Google Drive, [Dropbox](/integrations/dropbox/) or [OneDrive](/integrations/onedrive/) and map the file from the previous step into the upload field.
- 4
Action: post in Slack
Add a [Slack](/integrations/slack/) message to the channel with the document name and signer details from the trigger.
Filing in Google Drive only?
PDFBetter's Google Drive connection files every signed PDF and its certificate of completion in a folder you pick, without a Zap. Keep the Zap for the Slack note or for other storage apps.
Zap 2: how do you turn a form response into a PDF ready to sign?
A dog-walking business collects new-client details in Typeform. Instead of copying the answers into the service agreement by hand, the Zap fills the agreement and sends it to the client to sign, usually before anyone at the business has read the response. The same pattern works with Jotform and Google Forms.
- 1
Prepare the agreement
Upload the agreement to PDFBetter with fillable fields for the client's name, address and start date. If it's a flat PDF, add fields with [Create fillable PDF](/tools/create-fillable-pdf/) first.
- 2
Trigger: a new form response
Start the Zap with your form tool's new-response trigger.
- 3
Action: Fill PDF Form
Choose the agreement. Zapier then shows one input per form field, so you map each answer to its field. Get Form Fields lists the exact field names if you need them.
- 4
Action: Send PDF for Signature
Send the filled document to the email address from the form response. PDFBetter uses the document's signature fields, or adds a signature and date line for each signer.
Test with your own email address
Send PDF for Signature emails real signers, exactly as sending from the app does, and counts toward your plan's signature requests. Run the first tests with your own address in the form.
Zap 3: how do you get invoice totals from Gmail into Google Sheets?
Suppliers email PDF invoices to a shared inbox, and someone types the number, total and due date into a spreadsheet. With Gmail and Google Sheets, Zapier does the typing.
- 1
Trigger: a new Gmail email with an attachment
Use a label or search such as invoices with attachments, so only invoice emails start the Zap.
- 2
Action: Extract Data From PDF
Map the attachment into the file field and list the fields you want, such as invoice number, invoice date, total and due date, or pick a saved extraction schema.
- 3
Action: add a row in Google Sheets
Map each extracted value to its column. Add a column for the page number each value came from, so whoever checks the sheet knows where to look.
Every value comes back with the page it was found on, and a value that isn't in the invoice is never guessed. That makes a gap in the sheet a useful signal: filter on it and send those invoices to a person. To try the same extraction on one file first, use PDF to JSON.
Scanned invoices need a text layer
AI steps read the document's text. If some suppliers send scans, add Make PDF Searchable (OCR) before Extract Data From PDF.
How do files move between Zap steps?
Every PDFBetter step that works on a document accepts either a document already in your account or a file from an earlier step, such as an email attachment, a form upload or a cloud file. PDFBetter imports it for that step, so you don't need a separate upload step first. Files PDFBetter produces are passed on as real files, ready for an upload or an email attachment.
- Long jobs finish before the next step. Conversion, compression and OCR run in the background, and Zapier waits for PDFBetter to report back, so the next step gets the finished file.
- Office files work too. Map a Word, Excel or PowerPoint attachment into Convert PDF to turn it into a PDF the rest of the Zap can use.
- Pass files, not links. Download links in a step's output last about 10 minutes, so map the file into the next step in the same run.
What does it cost to run PDFBetter in Zapier?
The Zapier app is included in Free, Pro and Business. Each PDFBetter step that runs counts as one agent & automation run; triggers and failed steps don't count. Agent & automation runs a month: 200 on Free, 5,000 on Pro, unlimited (fair use) on Business.
The work a step does uses the same allowances as doing it in the app: signature requests, downloads, conversions, OCR pages and AI credits. Free includes 3 signature requests and 20 AI credits a month; Pro includes 500 AI credits. Zapier counts its own tasks on your Zapier plan. Full limits are on the pricing page.
Try Request signatures on your own file.
No account needed to start, and tools that run in your browser never upload your file. Keep going on the free plan, or pick a plan when you need more.
Questions people ask
Do I need a paid PDFBetter plan to use Zapier?
No. Any PDFBetter account can connect, and Free, Pro and Business each include monthly agent & automation runs. Guests create a free account first.
Can a Zap start when one signer signs, before everyone has?
The Zapier triggers fire when a document is fully signed or a workflow run finishes. For a step on each signer, use PDFBetter's Make app, whose Watch recipient signatures module fires every time one recipient signs.
Can a Zap use a file from Gmail or Google Drive?
Yes. Map the file from the earlier step into the PDFBetter step's file field, and PDFBetter imports it for that step.
What happens when a PDFBetter step fails?
Zapier shows PDFBetter's error on the step, for example a field name that doesn't exist or a file that isn't a PDF. Failed steps don't count toward your PDFBetter runs.
Where do the files a Zap uses end up?
Files a step works on are imported into your PDFBetter account so the step can process them. They appear in your documents, where you can delete them.
How do I disconnect Zapier?
In Settings → Integrations, under Connected apps, click Disconnect next to Zapier. Zapier loses access right away and its triggers are removed.
Sources
- PDFBetter for Zapier — pdfbetter.com, checked
- PDFBetter plans, AI credits and limits — pdfbetter.com, checked
- Zapier help: What is a Zap? — help.zapier.com, checked
- Zapier help: How Zap triggers work — help.zapier.com, checked