Sign and certify documents
Digital signatures let you identify any unauthorized changes made to a document after it is signed. Documents may be signed several times and by different persons. Certifying a PDF document ensures, in addition to applying a digital signature, that the range of permitted actions is limited.
If you do not see this tool,
right-click in an empty area of the Panel bar and select it.
Sign an open PDF document
-
Use the
Sign (
) tool at . Click the arrow for a drop-down list and select Sign Document.
The pen cursor (
) appears as you hover the mouse over the document area.
-
Click or draw a signature.
- Click with the pen cursor in the page, then click Continue to create an invisible signature. A confirmation dialog appears, either click Continue to proceed with an invisible signature, or click Start Over and retry for a visible signature.
- Click (and hold the mouse button) with the pen cursor and draw a rectangle on the page big enough to contain a signature.
- In the Sign Document dialog box, select a Digital ID from the list or click Add to browse for an existing Digital ID or create a self-signed digital ID.
- Confirm the password if the signature scheme includes password protection.
- If you selected an invisible signature, then click Save or Save As for an invisible signature to take effect.
- If you selected a visible signature, then click Next, configure the appearance, and click Save or Save As for a visible signature to take effect.
Sign and certify an open PDF document
- Click the down arrow next to the Certify tool in the same group, and select Certify Document or Certify Document Invisibly from the drop-down list.
-
Draw a rectangle to certify the document with a visible signature.
The Certify Document dialog box appears.
- Select a Digital ID from the list or click Add to browse for an existing Digital ID or create a self-signed digital ID.
- Confirm the password if the signature scheme includes password protection.
- Select the permitted actions in the Allowed Actions list.
- If you selected an invisible signature, then click Save or Save As for an invisible signature to take effect.
- If you selected a visible signature, then click Next, configure the appearance, and click Save or Save As for a visible signature to take effect.
Use a signature scheme
To use an available signature scheme, select its thumbnail in the panel and do one of the following
- Drag it to the place on the page where you want to locate it with original sizing.
- Double-click with the Sign or Certify Document cursor on the page where you want it located with original sizing.
- Draw a rectangle with the Sign or Certify Document cursor to contain the signature, resized to fit into the rectangle.