SantoshTec PDF

Sign a PDF by drawing your signature

Draw your signature, place it on any page, and download the signed document. No printer, no scanner, no account — and your signature never leaves this browser tab.

Drop the PDF you need to sign

Handled entirely on this device.

    Draw your signature

    Use a finger on a touchscreen, or a trackpad — both are steadier than a mouse.
    Load a PDF to see its page count.
    72 pt is one inch. 180 pt is a typical signature.

    Nothing is uploaded. This page opens and rewrites your PDF using your own browser's memory, then shows you the finished pages so you can check them before you download.

    Using Sign PDF, step by step

    1. Drop the PDF you need to sign onto the box above.
    2. Draw your signature in the white box with a mouse, trackpad or finger. Clear it and try again as often as you like.
    3. Choose which page it goes on, where on the page, and how big it should be.
    4. Press Sign PDF and download the signed document.

    The print-sign-scan ritual, and why it persists

    A remarkable amount of office time is still spent printing a document in order to make a mark on it, then photographing that mark to turn it back into a file. The result is worse than what you started with — larger, blurrier, no longer searchable — and it requires a printer, a scanner or a camera, and about ten minutes. It survives mostly because nobody stops to ask whether it is necessary.

    For most everyday documents it is not. Placing a signature image onto the page directly produces a cleaner document, keeps the text selectable, and takes under a minute. It is the same thing the mainstream e-signature services do when you draw with your finger, minus the account and the audit trail.

    Being clear about what this is

    Honesty matters here more than in any other tool on this site, because "signing" describes two genuinely different things.

    An electronic signature is a mark you make to show intent — a drawn squiggle, a typed name, a click on "I agree". In many jurisdictions, including under the EU's eIDAS regulation and the United States' ESIGN Act, this is legally effective for the great majority of ordinary contracts. It is what this tool produces.

    A digital signature is a cryptographic operation. A certificate issued by a recognised authority is used to sign the file's contents, so any later change breaks the signature and the signer's identity is verifiable. This is what regulated filings, some government submissions and high-value contracts require, and it needs a certificate you have obtained and software that supports it.

    Neither is universally correct. The practical rule is to ask the recipient. If they say "just sign and send it back", a drawn signature is what they mean. If they mention a certificate, a token, or a specific signing platform, this tool is not what they need.

    Placing it well

    Look at where the signature line actually is before choosing a position. Most contracts put it bottom right or bottom left of the final page; letters usually sign below the closing, which is often mid-page. If the document has a printed line, aim to sit on it rather than beside it — a signature floating in the margin looks like an afterthought.

    Size matters more than people expect. A signature spanning half the page width looks performative; one the size of a postage stamp looks tentative. Around 180 points — two and a half inches — matches what a person writes with a pen on paper, which is the look you want.

    Finally, check the result before sending. Open the downloaded file, go to the page you signed, and confirm the signature is not covering text underneath it. If it is, run the original through again with a different position or a smaller width. Nothing is destroyed by trying twice.

    Frequently asked questions

    Is a drawn signature legally binding?

    In many countries a simple electronic signature — including a drawn one — is legally valid for most everyday agreements, and this is the same class of signature used by mainstream e-signing services. However, some documents are specifically excluded by law (wills, property deeds and certain court filings are common examples), and some counterparties require a certificate-based digital signature instead. This tool produces a visible signature, not a cryptographic one. If the document matters, ask the recipient what they will accept, and take legal advice where the stakes justify it.

    What is the difference between this and a digital signature?

    What you draw here is an image of your signature placed on the page — the electronic equivalent of signing a printout. A cryptographic digital signature is different: it binds a certificate issued by a trusted authority to the document and can prove mathematically that the file has not changed since signing. Both are called "signing" and they are not interchangeable. For a certificate-based signature you need a certificate and software that supports it.

    Does my signature get uploaded or stored anywhere?

    No. The drawing exists only in this browser tab, is placed into the PDF in local memory, and disappears the moment you close or reload the page. Nothing is saved, transmitted or retained — which is exactly what you want for a signature image.

    How do I sign in more than one place?

    Sign, download, then feed the signed file back in and sign again on the next page. Your drawing is not remembered between runs, so you will redraw it — a minor inconvenience that is the direct consequence of not storing it.

    My signature looks shaky drawn with a mouse.

    Almost everyone's does. A trackpad is usually steadier than a mouse, and a phone or tablet with a finger or stylus is better than either — open this page on your phone, sign there, and email yourself the result. Drawing larger and slower also helps, since the box scales down what you draw.

    Can I add the date or my printed name too?

    Not in this tool, which does one thing. Use Watermark PDF to stamp text such as a date or a name onto the page, then sign the result here.

    Related PDF tools

    Most jobs need two or three steps. These pair well with Sign PDF.