Participating Frequently

Question

How do I get the actual signature to show in a document using XI?

Forum|Forum|11 years ago
September 23, 2014
5 replies
81809 views

Been using Adobe for years and with the new update to XI I am having a heck of a time getting the signature to show in the document. To check this I opened another document and was easily able to grab my signature and place it where I want.

For some reason the document I was sent allow for me to sign electronically, but when I choose to do so, I'm asked first to draw a box to where the signature is to be placed, then another dialog box opens asking for the file. I was not able to find a place to add a new signature by using the methods used previously. I have a signature in a file and has been used many times for other .pdf docs with zero issues.

Not sure why this doc is giving me issues. The document sent to me is showing its from Adobe 7.x! Not sure if that is the issue, as it could be the problem placing the signature.

Please advise to try and get this resolved.

This topic has been closed for replies.

V

Valkyrie Anne

Participating Frequently

Hi All,

Did anyone ever get Acrobat XI to stop offering a digital signature and switch to a plain electronic signature? I saw the directions, but my version is not showing a drop down box next to Place Signature, so I'm having trouble. I only want to place electronic signatures.

try67

Community Expert

Use the Pencil commenting tool. It's pretty much the same thing.

A

askacfi

Participating Frequently

No. The morons who replied are engaged in a form of brainiac trolling....they keep telling you all about "digital signatures" which have ZERO to do with what you are seeking to accomplish...they are too smart by half to understand a simple question or they are actually trolling by responding with meaningless information.

I, like you, simply seek to insert my scanned signature into the document. I DON'T WANT OR NEED A DIGITAL SIGNATURE.

I like you, used to be able to simply insert my scanned signature at the bottom of documents and email them right back without having to print, manually sign, scan and return.....the idiots above are not able to conceive of a world wherein the recipient may not need, care, be able to use a digital signature...the recipient just needs your scanned signature on the document.

I get it. You would need to spell it out in baby speak in order to make any headway into the hard heads of the trolls who have thus far replied to this thread.....

Like you, if I cannot figure out a way to insert my scanned signature I will downgrade too....

11llopetz

Participant

There is definitely something funky with the 11.0.9 upgrade, unfortunately it persists through the 11.0.10 upgrade. I am running pro. My Fill & Sign and Comment toolbars are now totally blank. Going in to manage signatures as suggested here causes the program to consistently crash. Tried repairing the install already - no change. This stinks.

Steven_Madwin

Adobe Employee

Hi,

Let's start with what application you are using (it's not Adobe because Adobe is a company, not a product). Is it Acrobat or is it Reader? If you are on Windows you can get the information from the Help > About <application name> menu. On the Mac it would be the Acrobat or Adobe Reader menu and then About <application>. Once you get the about screen up you will see a version number. If you can let me know what that is as well that would be great (I know you said the major version is 11, I'm also curious as the the minor version number).

Thanks,

Steve

sign_formsAuthor

Participating Frequently

I am using Adobe Reader IX. I have version 11.0.09. It looks to be the latest version.

The document I received had a signature on it from another person. Clearly visible. When I attempt to add mime, I am first asked to highlight an area where the signature should be placed. Then I am asked to pick the signature I want to use. If I use the standard name it appears in block letters. If I select create a new one, there is no place for the signature to go. Another option is for the file, but having no idea where that might be. I am not given an option to scan, photo, or hold up my signature to the camera.

Just looking for a way for this to work as it did on other docs.

Steven_Madwin

Adobe Employee

Thanks Steven,

here is the text from the Intended Usage field:

"Signature de transaction, Signature de document, Authentification du client"

Thanks for your help

Eric

Hi Eric,

The first two items (and I'm going to do this in English) ; Sign Transaction, and Sign Document are from the Key Usage extension (they represent the "digital signature" and "non-repudiation" bits respectively). Their presence limits the use of the digital ID to signing anything other than certificates and CRLs. If there was no Extended Key Usage (EKU) extension present you would still be able to sign a PDF file. However, the last item on the list (Client Authentication) is from theEKU extension and it tells the processing applications (in our case Acrobat & Reader) that the digital ID is further restricted to allowing the client (in other words, your computer) to authenticate to a server or system.

A bit about digital IDs. They are issued by trusted third party Certificate Authorities (CAs) and it's the CA that determines for what purpose a digital ID that they have issued may be used. The CA controls what goes into the usage, constraints, and policy extensions, and together those extensions define and narrow the purpose a the digital ID. The CA is governed by a set of policies and practices that are defined in publicly available documentation, and their whole existence is dependent on not varying from those rules. If they say (through the cert extensions) that they want the digital ID limited to a particular operation then it is incumbent on the processing application (again, in our case that means Acrobat and Reader) to respect those limitations. Yes, Acrobat used to ignore the EKU and that was a flaw in Acrobat. As you may imagine, ignoring the EKU caused problems for certain users and thus brought this flaw to light, which is why it was fixed in version 11.0.9.

The bottom line is, you need to coordinate with the CA that issued you your certificate and procure a new digital ID that is not restricted to client authentication. The three things that may be in the EKU that would allow signing of a PDF file are ; Allow Any, Email Security, and Code Signing. If the CA were to add one of those to the EKU along with Client Authentication, then you will be able to sign again.

Steve