The transition to electronic documentation has changed many of our habits and dramatically accelerated the exchange of documents in business, government organizations, and personal correspondence. However, one thing has remained unchanged — the need to verify the authenticity of documents or agreements using personal signatures. And if users have fewer questions regarding signing .DOC files, the need to sign a PDF online can become a serious challenge. Below, we will show different ways of signing documents electronically and recommend the most optimal one.
Best Ways to E-Sign Documents Without Any Special Knowledge
Method #1: Digitizing a Manual Signature
If you are not yet accustomed to using special applications for e-signing documents, you can choose a more habitual way. In this case, the whole process will be lengthy but familiar:
- You put a signature on a white piece of paper and take a photo of it with your smartphone.
- Then, using a photo editor, you crop it so that only the signature remains without extensive white margins.
- To easily insert it into a document in a .DOC format, you should convert the image to PNG format.
- Finally, you open your document in MS Word or Google Docs and drag the PNG image to the place of the signature.
Method #2: Easiest Way to Edit a PDF and E-Sign It
Modern document management uses the PDF format as the standard. That is why you will sign the vast majority of documents in this format. It will be more effective if you use online applications, such as PDF Guru, to e-sign them. Such applications are multifunctional and allow you to perform many other actions with PDF files:
- Convert
- Edit
- Split
- Merge, etc.
How to Use Topical Apps for E-Signing PDFs
To quickly e-sign your file on the PDF Guru platform, you only need to take a few quick steps:
- Select the Sign PDF option on the toolbar.
- Upload your file.
- Find the pencil icon in the middle of the toolbar and click it.
- The application will offer to create a signature using one of the following methods: draw it online, type it, or use a ready-made picture.
- After you have determined it, press the “Create and Use” button and return to the document.
- Find the place in the document where it should be located, reduce it to the required size, and confirm completion of the work.
- All that remains is to download the file to your device and send it to recipients.
Method #3: Convert Scanned and Signed Document to PDF
Sometimes, there are situations when you do not have an electronic version of a document but only a printed and signed one. If you need to convert them into editable PDFs and send them to other people, you can do the following:
- Place your signature, if it is not already there, on the printed document and scan it. Modern smartphones may have a built-in scanning function. If you don’t have it, install a special application.
- Use the OCR tool to convert a scanned version of a document into a fillable PDF form. Since your signature will already be on this document, you will not have to sign it again.
FAQ
How to sign documents electronically with the help of web apps?
Online apps like PDF Guru offer you to upload the file and choose how you want to sign the document. You can type your signature, upload a finished picture, or draw it using an online pen. When the signature is ready, you place it in the desired place in the document and download the file to your device.
How to create a digital signature online?
To create a digital signature, you need to use a special application that provides this option. The PDF Guru app asks users to choose what type of signature they want to create and remembers it. Subsequently, you will not have to create it again, but can use the same one.
How to eSign a document with minimal effort?
The shortest way to e-sign a document is offered by the PDF Guru application. You simply upload a document, click on the pen icon, create a signature, and place it where you want in the document. All this takes a few seconds, just like signing a document by hand.
