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a60fb26
(Get the code!)
(This is not a problem with Firefox btw.)
I have a PDF file that I saved (also from a government website). After opening and editing the fields in this PDF file, the font format disappears after clicking away from the field due to, apparently, Evince not being able to recognise the desired font type that the PDF wants for that field, and so not displaying anything at all as a result.
However, you don't need to do any kind of font type conversion or whatnot to fix this issue. After simply saving the PDF file again *using Evince* (using "Save a Copy..."), it will then change the font type of the fields to some other type it actually can actually display,. Then, if you open the new copy, and edit the fields, it will then display the entered text in the fields.
If you look at the properties of both PDF files using Evince, in the font tab it lists three extra named fonts in the new saved copy along with a bunch of "no name" fonts, while the original PDF that has invisible fields only lists the "no name" fonts.
I think dgandhi's comment above that having Evince default to some font type if the font type a field is calling for isn't recognised being undesirable is a huge mistake. It's MUCH more desirable to have a slightly incorrect font type appear in a field than having a user experience invisible fields, it not only being extremely confusing but also making it impossible to print the PDF as no entered form data would show up. Also, another useful feature, semi-solution, and also to correct dgandhi's concern would be if Evince had a font selector. This way, even if the default font was too different looking from what the PDF field had originally been calling for, the user could select a font type that was more similar.
Regardless though, making Evince choose a default font type should be the immediate solution to this bug which I agree is a fairly severe bug to have, even if it only effects certain PDF documents. Here in the U.S. at least, unknown font types coming from government PDF files seems to be fairly common.