How to sign a PDF without printing it

Guides · Updated 12 October 2026 · By Tiago Santos

Someone sends you a contract or a form to sign. You don’t need to print it, sign it with a pen and scan it back. You can add your signature to the PDF directly, on a computer or a phone, in a couple of minutes.

Is a signature added this way valid?

For most everyday documents, such as rental agreements, school forms, quotes and many contracts, a picture of your signature on the PDF is accepted, the same as a signed scan. This is a simple electronic signature. Some documents need a qualified or certificate-based digital signature instead, such as certain government, notary or banking forms; if the sender asks for one, a picture of your signature isn’t enough. When in doubt, ask the sender what they accept.

Three ways to make your signature

• Draw it with a mouse, trackpad or your finger on a phone. Slow, deliberate strokes look more natural.
• Type it and pick a handwriting style. Quick, and accepted for many forms.
• Photograph it on white paper. This gives the most natural result: Signature maker keeps only the ink and makes the paper transparent, so the signature sits cleanly on any page.

Sign the PDF

1. Open Sign PDF and choose your PDF.
2. Draw, type or load your signature.
3. Click where it should go on the page, then drag and resize it to fit the line.
4. Download the signed PDF and send it back.

The contract stays on your device the whole time. Contracts usually hold names, addresses, salaries or account numbers, so that matters more than with most files.

If the form needs filling in too

If the PDF has fillable fields, use Fill PDF form first, save it, then sign. For flat forms without fields, Edit PDF lets you type text anywhere on the page.

Keep your signature safe

A transparent image of your signature is useful, and also worth protecting. Don’t leave it in shared folders, and only add it to documents you mean to sign.