How to sign a PDF without printing it

Print, sign, scan, email: for a one-page form it is still how many people do it, and it wastes ten minutes and a sheet of paper every time. You can sign the PDF directly instead, and the result is cleaner than a scan.

Sign it yourself in four steps

1. Open Sign PDF and choose the document. It is opened on your device, not uploaded.
2. Create your signature: draw it with a mouse, trackpad or finger, or type your name and pick a handwriting style.
3. Click where it belongs on the page, and set its size with the slider so it fits the line.
4. Download the signed PDF and send it on.

If the document also has blanks to fill in, do that first with Fill PDF form. Or do everything in one place in the PDF editor, where a free account can also save your signature for next time.

Is a signature added this way legal?

In the United States, the federal ESIGN Act and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, adopted by almost every state, say an electronic signature can't be refused legal effect just because it is electronic. For most everyday documents, such as leases, contracts, consent forms and permission slips, an electronic signature is as valid as ink.

A few kinds of documents still need wet ink or a notary: wills and codicils, some family-law and court documents, and certain notices. The other party can also insist on paper. When in doubt, ask whoever asked you to sign.

When someone else needs to sign

Adding your own signature is one thing. Getting a signature from a client, a tenant or a co-buyer is another: you need proof of who signed and when. That is what Signzuma does. You place signature boxes for each person, they get a personal link by email, and when everyone has signed, all of you get the finished PDF with a certificate page recording the time, IP address and identity check of every signature. The file is sealed so any later change shows. A free account sends three documents a month.

A drawn or typed signature on your own copy is perfect for forms you return yourself. For agreements where you may one day need to prove who signed, use a signing service that keeps an audit trail.