FilePDQHow to sign a PDF without printing it
Quick answer
Open the PDF in a signing tool, draw or type your signature, place it on the page and download the signed copy. No printer or scanner needed, and it takes about a minute.
Sign PDFFree, no sign-up, and your files never leave your device.
Open the toolStep by step
- Open Sign PDF and add your document.
- Make your signature: draw it with a mouse or finger, type your name in a handwriting style, or upload a photo of your real signature.
- Tick “Add my printed name and today’s date” if the document asks for them.
- Click the page where the signature goes. Drag it into place, or use the arrow keys for fine adjustments.
- Select Download signed PDF and send it back.
When a typed or drawn signature is not enough
Some documents still need a handwritten signature, often in front of a witness. Wills and some property deeds are common examples. If you are unsure, ask whoever sent you the document how they want it signed.
A drawn signature on a PDF is a picture of your signature. It does not prove who you are on its own. Services that verify identity, sometimes called advanced or qualified signatures, are a different thing.
Tips
- For an uploaded signature, sign in dark ink on plain white paper and photograph it in good light. The white background is removed for you.
- Use the page arrows to sign more than one page, such as initials on every page of a contract.
- In the UK, electronic signatures like this are generally accepted for everyday documents such as tenancy agreements, job offers and forms.
If something goes wrong
My signature looks too big or too small.
Drag the square handle at its corner, or select it and press plus or minus.
The page is sideways in the viewer.
Place the signature where it looks right on screen. It is saved the right way up, even on rotated pages.