How to Sign a PDF? Electronic Signature Guide (Step by Step)

You need to sign a contract and send it back, but you don't have a printer, you don't have a scanner — all you have is your computer or phone. This situation now happens to almost everyone, and the solution is often surprisingly simple: instead of printing the document, signing it, and scanning it again, you sign the PDF directly on screen.

In this article, we'll walk step by step through how to sign PDF documents with a drawing-based electronic signature, how the process works when there are multiple signers, and where people most often go wrong along the way.

What exactly is an electronic signature (SES)?

First, we need to clarify the term, because this is where things tend to get confusing. "Electronic signature" is an umbrella term, and there are different trust levels underneath it. A drawing-based signature — meaning a handwritten-style signature applied with a mouse, touchscreen, or trackpad — is considered a Simple Electronic Signature (SES).

SES provides a visual, recorded mark showing that the signer approved the document. It isn't sufficient for transactions that require a qualified electronic signature (systems similar to QES) — such as formal filings with a government office, tender documents, or notarized transactions. But for the situations that make up the bulk of everyday business — quote approvals, internal agreements, vendor contracts, form approvals, meeting minutes — SES is a practical and adequate solution.

In short: if it's enough for the other party to say "I approved this document," you can use SES. If it's a transaction that legally requires a qualified signature (such as official government applications), you should use your country's qualified electronic signature system instead of this tool.

What to check before signing a PDF

Before moving on to the steps, check two things:

1. Is the document final? Making changes to the text after signing can invalidate the signature or create a confusing document chain. Finalize the content first, then sign.
2. How many people will sign? Will a single signer or multiple parties approve the document? This directly affects the process described below.

Step by step: signing a PDF with an electronic signature

1. Step — Upload the document

Upload your PDF file to the system. The document opens in the browser and is displayed page by page; you can scroll to find the page you want to sign.

2. Step — Choose the signature type

In drawing-based signature mode, you'll generally see three options:

• Draw by hand: You draw your signature directly using a mouse or touchscreen. It takes a bit of practice on a trackpad but produces the most authentic result.
• Type it out: You type your name, and the system converts it into one of several handwriting-style fonts.
• Upload: It captures a photo of a signature you put on paper, makes the background transparent, and places it onto the PDF.

Drawing with a finger on a phone usually gives the most natural result; on desktop, the upload option tends to look cleaner for most people.

3. Step — Place the signature on the document

Drag and drop the signature you created onto the spot where it needs to appear in the document. Adjust its size, and add a date and name field if needed. If there are multiple signature fields (for example, if every page needs an initial at the bottom), repeat this step.

4. Step — Set the order if there are multiple signers

If more than one person needs to sign the document, add the signers by email address and set the signing order. There are two approaches:

• Sequential signing: The document doesn't go to person B until person A has signed. This makes sense for contracts with an approval hierarchy (for example, department manager first, then general manager).
• Parallel signing: Everyone is notified at the same time, and whoever signs first, signs first. This saves time, but shouldn't be used if signing order matters.

Each signer should have their own dedicated signature box in the document — this is the surest way to avoid confusion.

5. Step — Send and wait for completion

The document reaches the signers you defined either sequentially or simultaneously. You'll get a notification each time a signature is applied. Once the last signer has signed, the fully signed and completed PDF is automatically delivered to all parties.

Common mistakes and practical tips

Leaving the signature too small or too large. Visually check the signature's proportion relative to the document; signatures that are too small to read or so large they disrupt the page don't look professional.

Placing the signature on the wrong page. Especially in multi-page contracts, leaving an initial in a similar-looking spot instead of the intended one for each page is a common mistake. Double-check the page number before placing it.

Setting up the wrong signer order. If approval needs to proceed in a specific hierarchy but parallel mode is selected instead, the document can end up looking "stuck" with the wrong person. Clarify who signs after whom before starting the process.

Typing the wrong email address. This is the most frustrating mistake in a multi-signer process — the document goes to an address that never receives it, and no one realizes what happened. Double-check every address before sending.

Sending without checking the final version. After placing the signatures, review the document once from start to finish. Checking the text, date, and signature placement — is everything correct — takes only a few seconds but saves you the hassle of corrections later.

Conclusion

With the right tool, signing a PDF becomes a process that fits into just a few minutes. What matters is knowing which signature level you need, finalizing the document before signing it, and setting up the correct order when there are multiple signers. Once you get these three things right, you can close out your contracts the same day without any printer-scanner hassle.