Sign PDF

How to sign a PDF

1. Drop a PDF file on the drop zone, or click it to choose one.
2. Under 1. Your signature, choose how to create it. With Draw, sign with your mouse, finger or stylus in the box. Undo removes the last stroke, Clear starts over. With Type, enter Your name and pick a Style. With Upload an image, click Choose an image… and select a photo or scan of your signature. Keep Remove the white background ticked for a picture taken on white paper. Then pick the Ink color: Black or Blue.
3. Under 2. Date (optional), tick Add a date under the signature if needed. Today’s date is filled in; you can change the text, for example to add a place.
4. Under 3. Place it on the page, go to the right page with the arrows and click where the signature should go. Drag it to move it and drag the round handle, or use Size, to resize it. Same place on every page copies it to all pages, handy for initials; Remove from this page takes it off.
5. Click Sign PDF, then Download. The file is named after the original, for example lease_signed.pdf.

A visual signature, not a certified digital signature

This tool adds a visual electronic signature: an image of your signature, stamped onto the page like ink on paper. It’s the same thing you get when you print a document, sign it and scan it back, only faster and cleaner.

It is not a certified digital signature. A digital signature in the technical sense (PKI, PAdES) uses a certificate issued to you by a trusted provider and a cryptographic seal over the file. PDF readers can then show who signed, when, and whether the document was changed afterwards. A visual signature carries none of that: anyone could copy the image, and the file can still be edited after signing.

When is a visual signature enough?

For most everyday documents, it’s what people expect: a lease application, a permission slip, an offer letter, a quote or purchase order, a timesheet, an internal approval. In many countries, including Canada, the United States and the member states of the European Union, the law accepts electronic signatures in general. What makes such a signature hold up is mostly the context: the email exchange around it, the parties’ conduct, and a record of who sent what.

When do you need more?

Use a proper digital signature service, or sign on paper, when:

• the recipient explicitly asks for a digital signature, a certificate, or an “advanced” or “qualified” electronic signature (eIDAS in the European Union);
• the document is a notarial deed, a will, a real-estate transfer or another act that the law requires in a particular form;
• you’re responding to a public tender or filing with an authority that specifies its own signing platform;
• you need to prove later that the document hasn’t been altered since it was signed.

This is general information, not legal advice. When in doubt, ask the person who requested the signature which kind they accept.

Tips for a clean result

• Sign large in the drawing box: the signature is cropped and scaled, and a bigger drawing gives smoother lines.
• Typed styles use handwriting fonts installed on your device, so the choice depends on your system. No font is downloaded.
• A scan works best with dark ink on white paper and even lighting.
• If the PDF already has a digital signature, adding yours changes the file and breaks the existing one.