if you have a Visa you don't need a ticket out.. that is typically a requirement for exempt entry. Even if immigration doesn't always ask but airlines often do.
Well I don't know about DTV extensions but for retirement and on one year extension they will check your paperwork and if something is missing or wrong they'll tell you and you take the papers back and you go fix it and you come back only when they take your papers and it's complete enough for them to do the job that's when we take the payment. In my experience.
However for Visa applications embassies seems to be a different policy.
it's been reported to be a 2-hour wait in Bangkok once you get the ticket so it's an interesting waste of time and effort.... Basically half a day ruined.
In Phuket they might even be a drive-thru when it takes 5 minutes so I don't know why they can't improve it....
as I said it seems that work related visas need to be activated and often abroad or by returning by crossing the border inwards. But it's not always the case.
Forest tourist visas I never heard that it needs to be activated in some special way.
I'm sure if you take screenshots and create a document Aviv or 64 pages and then you make a PDF it's going to be too big and we're going to refuse to take the PDF....