Question regarding Fill and Sign

[kevind52939]

Hi,

I have some comments and a question regarding Fill and Sign.  Please keep in mind I am no guru here but I will try and be as detailed as possible...

We have an interactive PDF that we fill out when we need to request vaca days, get missed time clock punches approved, and log for when we have "occurrences" on our record (such as not coming to work in too many consecutive instances.)

Each of these events are divided up into sections.  At the end of each section on the form, the associate must sign off on that section that they needed to fill out.The form is then emailed to their manager and he/she signs off on it as well.  The form is then sent to HR and is filed electronically.

Currently, we are using Topaz signature pads for users to fill the forms out on PCs and laptops.  (We use these pads for other things as well.)

The latest version of Adobe Reader is installed on all user's PCs and laptops.

This method of filling out this form has worked exceptionally well.  (Previously, we had to fill these forms out by hand, manually deliver them to our manager, and the manager would manually deliver them to HR.  In a 500k+ square foot building where people are placed all over the place, this was a daunting task as you could probably imagine.)

I'm trying to expand this method of signing off on these forms for users via Windows tablets (Win 10 Pro) and a mix of Android/Apple phones.

Of course, the sig pads aren't really necessary with the tablets or the phones as we can use Adobe's Fill and Sign option which allows us to sign with our finger or via a pen on the touch screen.

One issue is that Fill and Sign does not seem to provide a time/date stamp once the signature is created and put in place on the PDF.  Is this by design?  Is there any way to add such a stamp once the signature has been put in place?  I'm currently doing this on the PC's/laptops via some JavaScript and it works great when we use our Topaz sig pads.  I simply wrote a piece of code that makes a field visible once the signature is put in place via the pad.  It displays the current date/time next to the signature itself.

The other (more important) issue that I'm realizing is that when I fill out the form and sign it via Fill and Sign on the Windows tablet, the interactive fields on the PDF are no longer useable when I go to send the form to my manager.  (Check boxes, text fields, radio buttons, drop down boxes, other signature fields, etc.)  This causes a problem, most specifically regarding the other signature fields.

When an associate signs the form and emails it to their manager for them to sign, the manager (normally) would just click on the field and sign it via their sig pad at their desk.  However, the signature field for "Manager" is now no longer editable/clickable because Fill and Sign locked the entire PDF when it was initially signed by the associate on the Windows tablet.  So if the manager is NOT using a Windows tablet or a smartphone (which they more than likely will not), the option to sign the signature field via the Topaz sig pad is now no longer available for them.

However, if I, as an associate, use Fill and Sign on my Android smartphone, place my signature in the appropriate area (which I just simply place over the signature field that we would normally use when using the Topaz sig pad), and email it to my manager, the "Manager" signature field (as well as all other signature fields and interactive items on the form) are all available/editable/clickable with no problem.

Why is it that Fill and Sign is locking the PDF when signing from the tablet but its not locking the PDF from my smartphone?  And, is there any way to have Fill and Sign NOT lock the entire PDF after signing via the tablet?

Thanks to anyone for any help you can provide!

[MeenakshiNegi · Accepted solution]

Hi Kevind,

As I have read the workflow that you have mentioned above, you need to fill a PDF form which has multiple sections in it.

Also, you need to add the signature at the end of each section and then send it to your manager for approval.

It seems that after signing the document, you send the document as an email attachment to the next person. Am I right?

If yes, I would suggest you try once the Adobe Sign for your workflow. Check if that makes your work easy.

You may refer this help link Adobe Sign tutorials | Learn how to use Adobe Sign

Let us know if you have any questions regarding Adobe Sign.

Please find below the answers to your questions:

1. One issue is that Fill and Sign do not seem to provide a time/date stamp once the signature is created and put in place on the PDF.  Is this by design?

- Yes, this is an as designed behavior. The Fill & Sign do not provide the time and date stamp with signature on the document.

   However, you can manually add the date and time stamp to the form. Go to Comment and click on the Stamp icon. You can refer to the     steps mentioned here Add a stamp to a PDF in Adobe Acrobat DC

2. The other (more important) issue that I'm realizing is that when I fill out the form and sign it via Fill and Sign on the Windows tablet, the interactive fields on the PDF are no longer useable when I go to send the form to my manager.  (Checkboxes, text fields, radio buttons, drop down boxes, other signature fields, etc.)  This causes a problem, most specifically regarding the other signature fields.

- When you add signatures via the Fill & Sign tool, it locks all the form fields on the interactive PDF. This is also an as designed behavior.

   However, Adobe Fill & Sign application for mobile (iOS and Android) is different from that of the desktop tool.

   It does not lock the document. There are some limitations to the mobile application. I am afraid to say that it is not possible to keep

   form fields from locking after you add the signature to the document.

Hope that answers your query.

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

Regards,

Meenakshi