About Sign PDF
Signing a document used to mean printing it, signing it with a pen, scanning it and sending the scan back. For most everyday documents, such as an agreement, a consent form or a letter of acceptance, a signature placed directly on the PDF is just as practical and takes seconds.
This tool lets you draw your signature with a mouse, a trackpad or a finger, or type your name in one of six handwriting styles. You place it on the page like a picture, move it, resize it and save the document. Signing is part of Plus. Opening a document in the editor sends a copy to our server so its text can be read, and that copy is deleted within 24 hours.
How to sign a PDF
- Choose the document. It opens in the editor with the Sign panel ready.
- Create a signature. Under Draw, write your name in the box, and pick black or blue ink. Under Type, enter your name and choose a handwriting style from the six on offer. Undo and clear are there if the first attempt is poor.
- Save the signature if you will use it again. A saved signature appears in the panel on later documents, so you do not have to draw it twice.
- Place it. Click the signature in the panel and then the page, and drag it to the line. Resize it so it looks natural.
- Export the signed PDF. The signature is part of the page.
When you would use it
- Returning a signed agreement, quote or engagement letter by email.
- Signing a consent, a permission slip or an HR form.
- Adding a signature to a document you have just filled in with Fill PDF form.
- Signing several documents quickly with the same saved signature.
- Signing a letter on a phone or tablet with a finger or a stylus.
What it will not do
- This puts a picture of your signature on the page. It is not a certificate-based digital signature with identity checks or an audit trail. Whether it is enough depends on the document and the country, so check with whoever asked for it.
- A drawn signature with a trackpad can look rough. A stylus or a finger on a touchscreen looks better, and a typed signature is the neat alternative.
- Saved signatures are kept in your browser, filed under your account. They are not shared across devices, so on a new device you create the signature again.
- It does not lock the document after you sign. Anyone with an editor could change the page, so if you need tamper-evidence, add password protection to restrict editing.
- It signs one document at a time.
How it compares
Dedicated e-signature services run a whole workflow: sending a document to several people, collecting their signatures in order, recording who signed and when, and producing a certificate. That is the right choice when you need an audit trail or when the other side expects one.
This tool is the simple version: you have a PDF and want your signature on it now. There is no sending, no waiting and no account on somebody else’s system.
Tips
- Draw your signature large and then shrink it on the page. It looks smoother than one drawn small.
- Zoom in before placing it, so that it sits exactly on the line.
- Use blue ink if you want the signature to be easy to tell from printed black text.