How to use the sign pdf
- Choose a PDF. The first page appears as a preview. Up to 25 MB and 500 pages are accepted.
- Make your signature: Type your name, Draw it with a mouse, finger or pen, or Use a picture of your signature. Pick an ink color.
- Place it: click the page where it should go, or use the sliders for left to right and top to bottom, and set the width. Choose whether it goes on the preview page, the first page, the last page or every page, and add the date if you want.
- Press Add signature and download. The new file is named after the original with "-signed" added.
Where a picture lands
On a Letter page (612 by 792 points) a signature picture three times as wide as tall, placed with its center in the middle of the page and a width of 30%, is 183.6 points wide and 61.2 points tall. Its lower left corner sits at x 214.2 and y 365.4, since the center is at 306 and 396 and half the size is 91.8 and 30.6.
If the page is turned 90 degrees, the position is worked out on the page as it is displayed and then mapped back, so the signature still appears where you clicked and stands upright. The tool refuses a position that would push the signature or its date line off the page.
This is not a digital signature
The tool puts a picture or text on the page. A digital signature is a different thing: it uses a certificate to prove who signed and to show whether the file changed afterward. This tool creates no certificate and cannot check any. A drawn or typed mark can also be copied by anyone. Whether it is accepted depends on the document, the people involved and the rules that apply to them, so ask the person or organization asking for the signature what they will accept. Nothing here is legal advice.
Signing a PDF that already carries a digital signature rewrites the file, which usually makes that earlier signature invalid in viewers that check it. Sign a copy and keep the original.
Typed, drawn or picture
A typed signature is drawn as real text in an italic serif font, so it stays sharp at any zoom. A drawn signature is cropped to your ink and placed as a picture, and a picture you choose is used as it is, so a PNG with a transparent background looks best. To prepare a signature picture first, use the signature generator. To combine the signed pages with other files, use merge PDF, to number the pages use add page numbers to PDF, and to check the file properties use the PDF metadata editor.
Assumptions and limits
- The signature is drawn on top of the page content and cannot be moved afterward, so keep an unsigned copy.
- Typed signatures can use letters, numbers and common punctuation, including accented Latin letters, up to 60 characters.
- The preview shows the position roughly. The final size is computed from the page, so check the downloaded file.
- Encrypted or password protected PDFs are refused with a message.
Frequently asked questions
How do I sign a PDF without printing it?
Choose the PDF, type, draw or load your signature, click where it should go, and download. Nothing is printed, and the file is changed only on your device.
Is a signature added here legally binding?
This tool only draws a mark on the page and gives no legal advice. Whether a mark counts depends on the document and the people receiving it, so ask them what they accept.
Is this a digital signature with a certificate?
No. A digital signature uses a certificate and shows whether a file changed. This adds a visible picture or text and cannot be verified.
Can I sign every page, such as for initials?
Yes. Choose Every page, make a small signature or your initials, and place it near a corner. The same mark is added at the same place on each page.