Digital Signature

[chris@SAIT]

Hi there,  I am wondering if there is a quick way to change all the text field blocks to digital signature boxes

Thanks is adavance 

Chris

[try67]

It's possible, but not with the built-in commands of Acrobat. Doing so requires using a script, but it can't convert the form field type directly. You will need to read the properties of the old fields, delete them and then add new ones in their place, this time as text fields.

If you're interested, I've developed a (paid-for) tool that allows you to do just that. You can find it here:

https://www.try67.com/tool/acrobat-convert-form-fields-type

[Test Screen Name]

You potentially have a very serious problem. If you try to use more than a very few digital signatures on the same file, things may go horribly wrong. Sometimes people have the idea to "sign on every page", but digital signatures absolutely are NOT for signing pages.

[chris@SAIT]

We have a document that we need multiple people to sign on last page!  IS this going to cause an issue

[Test Screen Name]

How many people? Each signing once, correct?

[chris@SAIT]

20ish people and yes just signing once!

[Test Screen Name]

That is really pushing signatures a bit hard. Each signature needs to make a check a complete scan of the previous signed document, back to the original. Doing anything may get pretty slow. I don't think 20 is impossible in the way 200 is impossible though, I suggest you set up some performance tests before getting deeper into this.

[chris@SAIT]

Thanks for the tips

So I should just try digital signature over and over to see what happens.  Saving after each time as it prompts

[Test Screen Name]

Yes, I think the overheads would be the same as 20 different signatures.

Check out document opening and signature validation especially, as well as just ordinary document reading, printing etc.

[chris@SAIT]

Thank you very much again for the tips

Anything else I should watch out for? or is there a better way to have a document with spots for multiple digital signatures?

[Test Screen Name]

One thing you can check is how many separate copies of signed documents you can have open. Each signature reduces the number of documents. 

Maybe someone can suggest an alternative. I can't conceive of a process that needs 20 different signatures, but that just means I'm not in your line of work...

[Thom Parker]

I think the Adobe Fill-n-Sign process is a decent model. All signers apply the equivalent of wet signature, i.e., a image of an ink signature to the document. At the end of the signing process the document is digitally signed to lock it down.

You can easily create a custom version of this process using Acrobat Pro or Reader. Both have a self-sign option for applying the wet signature, both can be setup with scripting to automatically email a PDF to the next signer, and both can also apply a digital signature.