Whether you’re an entrepreneur who uses PDFs to send contracts or a teacher who needs to add signatures to student assignments, getting your signature on a PDF is essential.
Most people print out the PDF, sign on each page, and then scan it to turn it back into a new PDF. While that method may work, it’s pretty tedious, and in 2022 there are much better ways to sign PDF documents.
This article will explore e-signatures and how to insert signatures in PDF documents using online PDF editor in just a few simple steps. Without wasting any more time, let’s get right into it.
What is an e-signature?
An e-signature is the digital form of a handwritten signature. Today, e-signatures are being used worldwide and have become legally binding. So there’s no longer any need to print PDFs out to sign them.
In the corporate world today, e-signatures are slowly replacing handwritten signatures because they can be used remotely to sign contracts and financial documents. E-signatures are also used to sign personal email messages and broadcasts.
What is a digital signature?
Digital signatures are mathematical codes used to sign a document, but unlike e-signatures digital signatures cannot be changed. They ensure a document cannot be altered or tampered with after signing.
Unlike an e-signature, a digital signature is not just the digital form of a handwritten signature. Digital signatures are often used to verify the authenticity and accuracy of a digital file, protect against malicious changes to digital communication, and identify an individual’s identity.
To create a digital signature, you must first generate a public and private key. The private key is kept secret and is used to sign documents, whereas the public key is shared with others to verify signatures.
What is the difference between an e-signature and a digital signature?
There’s a subtle difference between e-signatures and digital signatures. While it may be hard for the average person to know the difference, compliance officers and regulators are well aware of it.
As previously stated, e-signatures are just an image of your signature that you can insert into a document. You can create an online PDF signature with any computer or smartphone that has a camera. E-signatures are legal, but they’re not very secure.
Digital signatures, on the other hand, are the most secure way to add signatures to PDF. They’re so secure that they’re used for protecting sensitive electronic business documents like contracts and spreadsheets. In essence, a digital signature uses complex encryption to verify the signer’s identity and ensure against tampering with the document.
Is it possible to add a signature to PDFs?
Adding signatures to PDFs was impossible ten years ago, but today it’s easy to sign PDF online once you know how to add a signature to a PDF. Depending on your PDF editor and device, you may sign directly on your screen with a lightpen, or you may have to take a picture of your signature and upload it to the PDF editor sodapdf.com/jpg-to-pdf/ .
How can I add a signature to my PDF?
There are different methods to create signature for PDF files. If you’re using a PC, open your file with Microsft Edge’s PDF reader, and click on the “Draw” option. You can use your mouse cursor to fill and sign PDF, but if you have a touchscreen device, you’ll be able to draw your signature with your finger or a light pen.
There are a couple of PDF signature apps available in the market today, but using an editor is better because they have more flexibility. For instance, most PDF editors have a “PDF remove signature“ feature that allows you to remove signatures from any PDF. If you’re using a Mac or smartphone to create PDF signature, always work with a PDF editor that provides advanced editing options.
3 PDF editors for adding a signature
If you are looking for a PDF editor to fill and sign PDF online, you may be confused, given that many editors are in the market. We’ve narrowed down the three best PDF editors that will allow you to create that signature PDF you want.
Lumin PDF
Lumin PDF is by far one of the best PDF editors available in 2022, and it’s a convenient way to sign PDFs. It’s a free online service that lets you upload and sign a file using your mouse or trackpad. You can also draw on the document or add text to fill out PDF online.
Lumin is fast and doesn’t require any software installation. You just have to add your email address and password, and you’ll be able to create, edit, save, share, and delete documents anytime.
Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat is a software program used to create, view, and print documents in PDF format, but many people don’t know that you can use Adobe Acrobat to add your signature to a PDF. You just need to select the tools option and then select “Create Signature” to get started.
A window will open where you can type in your name, text size, width of the line, and color of the line.
After correctly filling out all the information, click “OK” at the bottom right corner of the window. Your signature will now be added as a watermark on all pages of that document for security purposes.
Mac Preview
Mac Preview is a simple PDF editor installed on all Mac computers. You can use Preview to open and view PDFs and annotate them. You’ll need to create a digital signature to sign a PDF with Preview. Digital signatures can be done using your computer’s built-in Keychain Access tool.
Once you have a digital signature, you can add it to any PDF by opening the document in Preview and clicking on the “Sign” button. When prompted, choose “Sign” from the dropdown menu and enter your password. When you save or share this PDF file, anyone who opens it will see a prompt asking if they want to verify the document’s authenticity before viewing it. When prompted, choose “Sign” from the dropdown menu and enter your password.
Conclusion
Adding your signature to a PDF is a quick and easy process that can be done using a variety of different tools. You can do it manually, but the best way to add signatures to PDFs is by using online PDF editors. By following the steps outlined in this article, you’ll be able to add your signature to any PDF in no time.