Electronic signatures are the convenient, legally-backed modern equivalent of old-school «wet» (pen-based) signatures on paper. Although you can find signature service providers that charge you to make one, PDFlite.co and other companies let you create an electronic signature free of charge.
Preparing your document
The document for which you need to create an electronic signature for free might be in any number of formats, such as .doc or even .jpg. PDF is the most commonly used digital format for most business contracts, however, because it is designed specifically to transfer across multiple platforms without formatting issues or other complications. You ideally should convert your document to PDF if needed before you create an electronic signature for this reason. Make sure there is enough room for all the signature fields you need, thinking critically about the implications of each signature.
3 steps to create a digital signature online
Once your document is in PDF format, you’ll need to upload it to the provider’s service via their website or app. Then, create your signature fields where you want yourself and/or others to sign. Following the field setup, tell the provider who your document recipients should be, along with email addresses.
The provider will send an email notification to everyone you specify. A link to the provider’s service usually is included in the email messages so it’s easy for recipients to get to the provider’s website. If a recipient hasn’t signed up for the provider’s service, they might have to do so to access the document and sign it. Lastly, you and your recipients must click on the appropriate signature field. The service should prompt you or your recipients to type, draw, or otherwise insert the signature. Click «Proceed», «Agree» or a similar button to confirm the signature and you’re finished!
How to get an electronic signature via mobile
In the fast-paced market, however, it’s not enough to get a signature online only from a desktop. If you get a digital signature on your mobile device, you can work anywhere, anytime, completing deals faster and with a wider scope than ever before.
Method #1
Signature service companies like PDFlite.co generally let you obtain a free online signature via Web-based software. You access the software by visiting the provider’s website and creating an account. A company can have two different versions of its website, however – one for desktop and one optimized for mobile. Make sure you use the mobile version, as navigation and load times both will be better. Even if you have to use the desktop version of the provider’s site, the basic steps to create a signature for PDF or other documents remain the same.
- Upload the document to the provider. If you don’t have the document directly on your mobile device, sites like PDFlite.co often let you upload from cloud-based platforms, such as Dropbox, or from a URL.
- Create signature fields and identify your recipients with names and email addresses. The provider will message each recipient to let them know they need to sign the document.
- Each person who needs to sign must click in the appropriate signature field and follow the prompts to draw, type, or otherwise insert their signature. When recipients confirm the signature, the provider should email you to let you know the document is ready.
Method #2
You also can get a signature on a digital document through apps that supplement and sync with providers’ websites. The interface may have a slightly different look, but follow the same steps as above. Apps are a great choice if you have to work offline – they’ll send the necessary email messages as soon as you get a connection again.
