If I create a document with a checkbox annotation with a custom set of appearance streams the appearance streams are not honored until the annotation is "active" (by tabbing to it, for example). An example document is here, created with my own tools. The annotation dictionary has an /AP dictionary with both /N and /D entries. When clicked, these appearances are used. When the annotation is no longer active (clicking off it or tabbing away), Acrobat again substitutes an incorrect appearance. To the best of my knowledge, my tools are generating spec-compliant PDF. Is this a rendering bug in Acrobat X?
This also appears to be the case in Acrobat 9.
This is also the case with radio buttons.
In a nice bit of "damned-if-don't", if I don't supply an appearance stream, Acrobat doesn't synthesize one.
I don't see much difference between this an Acrobat generated annots other than Acrobat supplies a MK dictionary, but the elements seem inconsequential for the appearance (only /BC and /BG are supplied an an acrobat checkbox).
