Use handwritten signatures

You can place a handwritten signature to your document - it is treated as a stamp but it does not appear in the Stamps panel. It is listed in the Comments panel where it can be reviewed, commented and more.

Handwritten signatures offer no security protection at all, so they appear neither in the Signatures panel nor in the Sign / Certify panel. Click the Sign ( Sign icon

) or Certify ( Certify icon

) tool to place digital signatures that do provide security.

Select Security > Handwritten Signature > Manage to call the Manage Handwritten Signatures dialog box. It lists all handwritten signatures you have created. Buttons below the list let you add a new signature, delete or rename an existing one, and select which signature should be the default: indicated with a signature icon to the left of the name.

Create a handwritten signature

Do any of the following:
- Select Security > Handwritten Signature () on the Security tab of the ribbon, then select Place from the dropdown list.
- Select Security > Handwritten Signature () on the Security tab of the ribbon, then select Manage from the dropdown list. Then in the Manage Handwritten Signatures dialog box, click Add ().
The Add Handwritten Signature dialog box appears.
Select a creation method for the signature from the list box. The following part of the dialog box changes, depending on your choice:
- Draw my signature: Set a color and line width, then draw the signature in the panel provided.
- Type my signature: Select a font, color and attributes, then type the signature text in the edit box.
- Import an image as my signature: Scan your signature to an image file and browse to locate the file. This is the recommended choice.
When the signature is defined, name it.
If you have multiple handwritten signatures, ensure you selected the preferred one as default. When you place an existing handwritten signature, Power PDF uses the default one.
Click OK.

The signature recently created will not be placed automatically in your current document, you need to place it manually.

Place an existing handwritten signature

Select Security > Handwritten Signature () on the Security tab of the ribbon, then select Place from the dropdown list.

Click Manage to manage your collection of handwritten signatures and add new ones. Make sure you have selected the preferred signature as default.

The mouse pointer turns to a crosshair.
With the crosshair mouse pointer, draw a rectangle on the page big enough to contain a handwritten signature.

Your handwritten signature shows up filling the area.

Click the signature area to reveal its borders and handlers. You may drag the signature to another position.