Option to sign a PDF without making it read-only

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A constant issue at my workplace is that many PDF documents need to be signed by more than one party. We are always jumping through hoops printing and signing in ink and re-scanning.

It would be nice if there was a simple yes/no selection when signing to choose if the document should become read-only after signing, or remain unprotected to allow other signatures.

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justlearnskillsCorrect answer

Community Expert

@sean_6202 if youa re using Adobe Acobrat Pro, then yes, there is absolutely a solution within Adobe Acrobat Pro that allows for multiple signatures on a single PDF without locking it down after the first signature. You don't need a "yes/no" prompt, as the functionality is built into the signing process itself, though it might not be immediately obvious if you're primarily using the "Fill & Sign" tool.

The key lies in understanding the difference between a "certified" or "finalized" signature and a standard digital signature field or using the "Fill & Sign" feature correctly for multiple parties. Adobe Acrobat is designed to support workflows where multiple individuals apply digital signatures, and it achieves this by allowing each subsequent signature to be added incrementally without invalidating previous ones, unless explicitly told to finalize the document.

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Angelic_niceness2383

@justlearnskills Could you list these steps or point to a document that does?

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justlearnskills

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@Angelic_niceness2383 you should have created a new post for for your question as this post is over a year ago.

I am just about to head into another meeting, Set up certificate-based signatures in Acrobat, https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/desktop/e-sign-documents/learn-about-signatures/setup-certified-signing.html and https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/desktop/e-sign-documents/manage-digital-signatures/certify-pdfs.html

If you have the PDF open,

Under Tools, Select and Choose Prepare Form.
Add a Digital Signature field for each signer.
Save the PDF.
Each signer signs their own signature field using Certificates > Digitally Sign.
Acrobat validates each signature while preserving the previous signatures.

Adobe recommends a certification signature for the first signer. When certifying the PDF, select an option such as 'Allow form fill-in and digital signatures' — this should allow additional signatures after the certification is applied, while still protecting the document from unauthorized changes.

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justlearnskills

Correct answer

Community Expert

@sean_6202 if youa re using Adobe Acobrat Pro, then yes, there is absolutely a solution within Adobe Acrobat Pro that allows for multiple signatures on a single PDF without locking it down after the first signature. You don't need a "yes/no" prompt, as the functionality is built into the signing process itself, though it might not be immediately obvious if you're primarily using the "Fill & Sign" tool.

The key lies in understanding the difference between a "certified" or "finalized" signature and a standard digital signature field or using the "Fill & Sign" feature correctly for multiple parties. Adobe Acrobat is designed to support workflows where multiple individuals apply digital signatures, and it achieves this by allowing each subsequent signature to be added incrementally without invalidating previous ones, unless explicitly told to finalize the document.

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