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How to sign a PDF without printing it

Printing a form, signing it and scanning it back takes twenty minutes and a printer. You can do the same on screen in two. Here is how to make a signature that looks like yours and put it exactly where it belongs.

Updated 2 min read

Three ways to make a signature

  • Draw it. On a phone, signing with your finger usually looks the most natural. On a computer, a touchscreen or a drawing tablet works best; with a mouse it can look stiff.
  • Upload a photo of it. Sign with a dark pen on plain white paper, photograph it in good light, and add the picture. The paper is removed and only the ink is kept.
  • Type it. Type your name and choose a handwriting style. It is the quickest and looks tidy, though it is not your actual handwriting.

Signing the form

  1. Add the PDF to Sign PDF.
  2. Fill in the boxes with Text and Date, and tick the choices with Tick.
  3. Press Signature, make yours, and add it to the page.
  4. Drag each item into place. Use the handle in its corner or the Larger and Smaller buttons to change its size.
  5. If the form needs a signature or initials on every page, use "Add to every page".
  6. Press Sign PDF, download the result and open it once to check.

Which kind of signature does the form need?

A picture of your signature is the electronic equivalent of signing a printout. Most offer letters, rental agreements, school and college forms and internal approvals accept it.

Some documents need more: a digital signature certificate (DSC), an Aadhaar eSign, or a signature witnessed by a notary. Those are produced by services that check who you are, and a picture cannot replace them. If the form says which kind it wants, follow it; if it does not, ask.

Keeping your signature safe

A clear picture of your signature is useful to anyone who gets hold of it, so keep it off shared computers. If you let the site remember it, it is stored only in that browser on that device, and "Forget it" deletes it.

The PDF you sign is not uploaded anywhere. If the signed file holds sensitive details, you can also put a password on it with Protect PDF before you send it.

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