How to sign a PDF without printing and scanning it

An agreement arrives as a PDF with a line at the bottom that says “Signature”. The old routine is to print it, sign it with a pen, scan it and email it back. It takes ten minutes, uses paper and often produces a crooked, shadowy scan. You can put your signature straight onto the PDF instead. This guide shows how, and explains what such a signature is and is not worth.

Three ways to make your signature

The Sign PDF tool lets you create the signature in whichever way suits you:

• Draw it. Use a mouse, a finger on a phone or tablet, or a stylus. A stylus or finger gives the most natural result, and you can clear and redo it as often as you like.
• Type it. Type your name and choose one of the handwriting-style fonts. It is quick and neat, though it looks less personal than your own hand.
• Upload a photo. Sign with a dark pen on plain white paper, photograph it in good light and upload the picture. The tool removes the paper and keeps only the ink, so you get your real signature with a transparent background.

You can change the ink colour (black or blue). Blue ink is sometimes preferred on important papers because it is easier to tell from a photocopy.

Place it on the page

1. Upload the PDF you need to sign.
2. Make your signature and check the preview, where the chequered pattern shows the transparent parts.
3. Go to the right page and click Place signature on this page.
4. Drag the signature to the signature line and use the size slider so it fits.
5. If the document needs a signature on several pages, such as initials on every page, click Copy to every page and adjust where needed.
6. Click Sign & download.

The signature is added to the pages as an image, in the right place even on pages that are stored rotated, which is common in scanned documents.

Is a signature like this valid?

It depends on what the document is for, and it is worth being clear about the difference between two things:

• An image of your signature, which is what this tool adds, is widely accepted for everyday paperwork: forms, consent letters, leave applications, quotations and agreements between people or businesses that trust each other.
• A digital signature or certified electronic signature uses a certificate to prove who signed and to show whether the document was changed afterwards. Examples in India include signatures made with a digital signature certificate and Aadhaar eSign. Some filings, tenders, and government or court processes require this kind.

If you are unsure which one the other side requires, ask them before you sign. Where a certified signature is required, an image alone will not be enough.

Protect your signature

A clean image of your signature can be copied by anyone who receives the file. Sensible habits help:

• Sign only the final version of a document, and keep a copy.
• Add a note such as “For the purpose of X only”, near the signature, where the document allows it.
• Do not post signed documents publicly, and do not keep a transparent copy of your signature where others can reach it.
• Everything on this site runs on your device, so neither the PDF nor your signature is uploaded. Read how that works and how to check it.

If the form wants a signature image instead

Many online forms ask you to upload a picture of your signature as a JPG under a size limit, for example 20 KB at a set width. For that, use the Signature Maker, as described in our guide to preparing a signature image.