How to Add a Signature to Your PDFs?

The digital era has transformed the way we handle documents. It is no longer necessary to print, sign, scan, and fax it all day long. Currently, PDF is the king of documents for sharing important contracts, agreements, or forms since they are convenient to use and take everywhere one goes with other words. But what if a PDF needs your signature? In as much as wet signatures have their traditional aura around them, electronic signatures are increasingly more secure and widely accepted.

Therefore the question arises: how do you sign a PDF? Worry not! This blog post will share knowledge with you in addition to tools that will enable you to add signatures easily on your PDFs making it a less paper-based process.

Why Sign PDFs Electronically?

However, electronic signatures have so many advantages over the traditional wet signature:

• Convenience: Instead of printing, scanning, or sending by mail, you can simply sign a document electronically. You can sign documents wherever and whenever you want using your computer, tablet, or phone!
• Speed and Efficiency: By signing documents electronically you save time which would have been used to print sign and wait for them to be circulated physically.
• Security: Most electronic signature solutions come with strong security features like encryption as well as audit trails. This ensures that your signed documents are genuine and unaltered.
• Versatility: Electronic signatures are often valid across industries as well as legal jurisdictions. In most instances, this means that they hold more or less the same legal weight similar to traditional signatures.

So, now let’s take a look at…

How to Sign a PDF? A Step-by-Step Guide

Now that you know what e-signatures are beneficial, we will look at how we can place our signature in PDF.

Method 1: Utilizing Adobe Acrobat Reader (Free)

Adobe Acrobat Reader Free offers a simple and effective way to sign PDFs. Here’s how to sign a PDF using it – 

• Download Adobe Acrobat Reader and open the PDF file you want to sign. 
• From the right-hand side tap on the Fill & Sign option.  You can also activate it by pressing SHIFT+F4 if you cannot see the pane.
• Tap on the Sign button and select Add Signature from the dropdown menu that appears.
• When you add your signature, there are three choices available:

1. Type: For a typed signature, enter your name and pick a cursive font style.
2. Draw:  Use your touchpad or mouse to draw a signature directly into the document.
3. Image: For personalization purposes, upload an image of your handwritten signature.

• After creating your signature, click Apply. Then move the drop field to where you want it in the PDF document by dragging.

Drawbacks of Free Version: While free Adobe Acrobat Reader enables you to add rudimentary signatures, it may be unsuitable for intricate paperwork. On the other hand, upgrading to the Pro version opens some features including tamper-evident seals addition and managing multiple signers.

Method 2: Use a Dedicated PDF Management/Editor Software

Advanced users looking for enhanced functionality and flexibility can use products such as Systweak PDF Editor which provides high-end solutions for signing PDFs. This renowned Windows PDF editor allows you to edit, create, convert, and manage files in this format. Here is what it entails:

Editing Features:

• Make changes directly to the content of a PDF like adding, deleting, or formatting.
• There are several tools by which you can annotate PDFs: for example highlighting, striking off, and writing comments on it.
• Headers, footers, watermarks, and page numbers can be added to your document.
• You may remove sensitive information by redacting out some sections of the text permanently.

Conversion Capabilities:

• Use this software to change PDF files into various formats such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint image files, and even webpages.
• Alternatively, generate PDFs from scratch or convert these file formats into PDFs.

Security & Management Features:

• Add passwords and restrictions on access and modification of content for the sake of security
• You can open password-protected documents if only you know the secret pass key phrase for it.
• Signatures can be made through electronic means on PDF documents.
• Organize files through merging, splitting rotating, and compressing among other features available here for pdf document organization purposes only.

Additional Features:

• This makes it simple for beginners to use because of its user-friendly interface.
• This is a PDF reading convenience that provides numerous ways of viewing.
• Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology helps convert scanned PDFs into editable and searchable documents. 

Here is how to sign a PDF using Systweak PDF Editor –

• Download and install the Systweak PDF Editor.
• Open it and click on the Open PDF option to upload your PDF file. 
• From the top of the pane, click on the Edit PDF option > Sign PDF.
• Now you can either draw your signature or upload it. 
• For Uploading click on the upload option and then tap on Choose Image.

 

• Click on Apply.
• Now with the help of your mouse or keypad place it anywhere in the document you want. 

Final Words on How to Add a Signature to Your PDFs

By using electronic signatures, not only do you save time and resources but also improve the security and genuineness of documents. So, why should you wait? Take advantage of adding signatures to PDF documents now as we live in a world of modern document management. Whether you prefer Adobe Acrobat Reader’s intuitive user interface or employ dedicated PDF management software solutions such as Systweak PDF Editor with more advanced functionality at your disposal for streamlining document workflows.