Adobe Acrobat DC: Create a Signature and Sign a PDF

UFV has provided all employees with an Adobe Creative Cloud account that includes the Acrobat DC App. If you haven’t done so already, please follow the instructions set out in the Adobe Installation Guide.

There are two ways to sign a PDF using Adobe Acrobat DC:

• Simple Signature
• Digital ID Signature
  • Using UFV’s Provided Digital Signature
  • Validating a Certificate-Based Signature

The former is an informal way to sign or initial a document while the latter has an added layer of security for official forms. Particular documents may require that a Digital Signature be used when the Signature field is selected.

This How-To guide demonstrates how to create and use a simple electronic signature as well as how to apply a Digital ID signature to an existing PDF document.

For information on creating a fillable PDF or inserting a signature field, please see the corresponding guides listed below.

• How to Create a Fillable PDF in Adobe Acrobat DC
• How to Add a Signature Field to a PDF in Adobe Acrobat DC

Simple Signature

This option is appropriate for documents and forms that are not formal or secure. For a more secure option, please see the Digital ID signature option below.

1. Open the PDF to be signed and select one of the following options:
   • Sign tool
   • Fill & Sign from the right-hand task pane
   • Tools Menu 
      If Tools Menu is used, a full list of tools available to Acrobat DC users is shown; click on the Fill & Sign app under Forms & Signatures. 
2. Selecting any of the above three options will open the Fill & Sign toolbar at the top of the PDF.
3. Click the Sign icon and select either Add Signature or Add Initials. 
4. The corresponding signature or initial panel will appear.   Acrobat DC allows the user to select from a small number of formatted styles, or draw a signature using a mouse (or stylus if available), or use an image file.
5. Once a signature or initials have been entered, ensure Save Signature is ‘ticked’, and click Apply.
6. The signature appears on the page and can be placed anywhere on the PDF document by clicking once.
   
7. The signature can be resized or deleted using the menu that appears with the signature selected.
8. Once the form is completed and signed, save the file to retain any changes made.

Digital ID Signature

This is a certificate-based signature option that contains encrypted information unique to the person signing. As a result, this is considered a more secure way to sign a document when a handwritten signature is not an available option. When a PDF has been created with a Signature field, a Digital ID signature is required.

UFV has provided each employee with a certificate-based signature based on the employee’s Active Directory credentials. This type of certificate-based signature allows the recipient to view the certificate that authorized the signature. In this case, they would see that the certificate is signed by UFV and can be trusted.

Using UFV’s Provided Digital Signature

As the signature is based on an employee’s Active Directory it is already set up and ready to use.

1. Select the Signature field on the Adobe DC document.
2. A dialogue box will open with the digital ID that corresponds to the user’s login credentials. The certificate is issued by UFV-AD-CA.
3. Select the UFV-AD-CA created Digital ID and select Continue.
4. A dialogue box with a preview of the signature will appear for approval. Click Sign to continue. 
5. Signing a document this way requires the user to save the document. Select the location for the file and save as usual.
6. The digital ID will appear in the signature field of the document. 

Validating a Certificate-Based Signature

A document signed with a valid certificate signature will have this header, in blue, at the top of the page.

However, if a user has any doubts as to the validity of the signature, it can be validated with the following steps:

1. Click on the Digital ID to be validated.
2. In the dialogue box that appears, select Signature Properties. 
3. The Signature Properties dialogue box contains information about the certificate that authenticated the signer:
   1. Validity Summary: This area informs the reader if any changes have occurred since the document was signed if the signer has locked any areas of the form when they signed and confirms the time and date that the signature was validated.
   2. Signer Info: Confirms that the signer’s certificate was issued by another certificate successfully.
   3. Show Signer’s Certificate: Clicking this takes the reader to view the certificate that authorized the signature. 
4. Click on Show Signer’s Certificate to view details about the signer. Certificates issued by UFV will look like this, with the name of the signer indicated in 2 places and UFV-AD-CA as the issuer. At the bottom, it will indicate that the certificate path is valid.