Adobe Sign and combining multiple signature pages / fully compiled documents

[jond56525087]

Hello,

We recently started using Adobe Sign within our organization. I am a lawyer and I am often collecting signature pages from many people within my company and outside my company. The issue I'm having is that if I get a contract signed using adobe sign internally, I can't combine the signature page with: a) other parties' signature pages that have been sent to me in PDF (i.e. scanned copies not using Adobe Sign); and b) the fully compiled legal contract which includes many schedules and exhibits that are all separate PDFs.

The other issue I'm having is if I send multiple documents at once for signature it will combine them all into one single PDF that I can't edit / separate which doesn't work for me.

I thought Adobe Sign would be helpful to streamline collecting signatures internally but it is just turning out to be more of a hassle since I don't have any flexibility in what I can do with the signed pages once received.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

[MeenakshiNegi]

Hi Jond,

Once the document is signed, it is not possible to combine it with other documents.

The document gets locked once you add a signature to it. This is for the security of the document.

As a workaround, you can combine the initial documents to a single PDF.

Assign signature fields in the document as required and sent it for signature.

As the form fields are assigned, only that person will be able to add the signature who is assigned to that particular field.

In this way, you will have the combined copy of the documents with signature.

Check if that works for you.

Regarding the second issue, there is a setting that keeps the document separated when you receive the signed copy.

However, the option is only available with the business and enterprise accounts.

Refer to the steps mentioned below to enable the setting:

- In Adobe Sign, go to Account  > Account Settings > Global Settings.

- On right, select the radio button for "Keep documents separated" under the headline "Merge multiple documents into one document after signing".

Hope that information helps.

Let us know if you have any questions or need any help.

Regards,

Meenakshi

[jond56525087]

Hi Meenakshi,

Thank you for your reply. If there is no way to add a signature page signed with Adobe Sign to a fully compiled contract then unfortunately I will need to suspend my service. The way the service is designed does not fit with how legal transactions and contracts are executed in practice. For each contract there are often many signatories and not all parties are using adobe sign. If I cannot combine a signature page signed with Adobe Sign with a scanned signature page received from another party to assemble a completed final contract then there is no point using the service.

Jon

[Jonatan5C5F]

Same with me here... In our business, we have TimeSheets that are signed by a client on a weekly basis. After 8 weeks, we have to submit an Invoice, and compile all the signed time sheets to that invoice. If I can't combined signed documents, then is no point for me to use the service. My client expect 1file (invoice + signed time sheets attached in one single file)... With Adobe's current configuration, I have to send 9 files for each invoice....  How can we overcome this inconvenience? 

[defaultcee3utrl4pji]

I completely agree.  I am dealing with this problem right now.  I can't even print to PDF to make a clean version that doesn't have any of the locked provisions. It opens "Notebook" when I try to do that and then crashes my computer.  Unreal.  I am also a lawyer.

[Barby22288128uk5d]

The workaround I have used is to export the signed PDF as an Image - however just know that it will save each page as a separate image. You can then re-compile the image files into a single multi-page PDF in Adobe Acrobat. It's clunky, but worked ok for me.

[Ashley265819737gv4]

I am having the same issue and it is driving me crazy.  Something that should only take me 20 minutes, takes hours.  I am a Realtor and I have to send different contracts to different people, and then combine it all into one single PDF.  I have been exporting everything to image or doing Print to PDF, but it is simply way too time consuming. That adds a lot more steps, when everything should be able to be completed in the program that we are paying so much for.   Adobe really needs to change this.  The program is meant for companies, but the program isnt "company user friendly" AT ALL!!!!!

[Mitchell Leitman]

I tried to follow the above instructions, but under Account Settings, my options are:

- Signature Preferences

- Digital Signatures

- External Archive

How does one go in to Global Settings?

[mariahweyne]

You need to be administrator in Sign to be able to see Global Settings.

[Sherry29639939we00]

We have the same problem.  We changed the global setting and it allows for separation of documents ONLY IF they are not digitally signed.  Our organization requires digital signatures.  It seems like if I choose to put in separate documents, I should be able to keep the documents separate in the output agreement (this would allow digital signature of the same person on each of the pages I need signed).  I should not have to send separate agreements to get 3 separate pages of one transaction signed.

Another issue is that with Adobe Pro Digital Signatures, I can use Shift X and Ctrl E to add another layer of information.  It still keeps the continuity of the digital signature and the audit report shows the info is added, which is fine.  Adobe Sign does documents do not allow this, which is crazy.  Why would Adobe make Adobe Sign so much more restrictive than an Adobe Pro Digitally Signed Document.  Our group has also decided not to use it because of these crazy features.  If you had just made it like Adobe Pro and allow those same actions, it would have been awesome.  At a minimum, give me the choice to set the settings to allow these two activities:

1.  Keep Documents separate in the agreement prep so that digital signatures for same person can be added on each document and allow me to keep digitally signed documents separate when I get them back.

2.  Allow overlay features such as stamps, text boxes, etc. just like Adobe Pro Digitially signed documents do.

Simple features for an admin to allow, that would make this software much more usable.