Sign PDF
Draw, type, or upload your signature, drop it on the page, and download the signed PDF. Nothing uploaded — your file never leaves the device.
Sign PDF lets you draw, type, or upload a signature, drop it on the page, and download the signed file — all inside your browser. Drawing uses perfect-freehand for pressure-sensitive strokes; typing uses web-safe handwriting fonts; uploads accept PNG or JPG with a transparent background. Stamping is done by pdf-lib as a flattened visual signature with optional date stamp. Up to 100 MB per file, 500 pages, 10 signatures per session, 100 placements per document. Nothing is uploaded.
What is Sign PDF?
Signing a PDF is one of the most common digital tasks: a contract, a permission slip, a tax form, or a release that has to come back with a signature on it. The traditional workflow — print, sign, scan, email — is slow, wastes paper, and produces low-quality output. The other option, e-sign services, often requires creating an account, uploading the file, and routing the document through someone else's servers. For most everyday signatures (forms, school documents, internal approvals), neither extreme is necessary — what you actually want is to draw or type a signature, drop it on the page, and download the file.
This tool runs entirely inside your browser. Your PDF is read into memory, the signature is drawn or typed locally, and pdf-lib stamps the result and hands you back a downloadable file. Nothing is uploaded — the document never leaves the device. The output is a regular flattened PDF that opens in Adobe Reader, Preview, mobile PDF apps, and any browser. It is a visual signature, the same as if you printed and signed by hand: it carries no cryptographic certificate. Use a notarised e-sign service if your context demands eIDAS / ESIGN compliance.
How does it work?
Drop a PDF, then either draw a signature with your mouse / trackpad / stylus, type your name in a handwriting font, or upload a PNG / JPG of an existing signature. Each saved signature appears in the right-hand palette. Click a palette card to activate placement mode, then click anywhere on the page to drop the signature there. Drag to reposition; drag the bottom-right corner to resize. Toggle Date in the per-instance toolbar to add today's date. Page through the PDF with the prev / next buttons and place additional copies as needed. When you're done, click Apply signatures — pdf-lib flattens everything into a downloadable PDF.
Draw vs Type vs Upload
Three ways to create a signature: Draw uses perfect-freehand for pressure-sensitive strokes captured on a mouse, trackpad, or touchscreen — the output is a vector path that scales cleanly when resized. Type renders your name in a web-safe handwriting font (cursive, script, or print) at high DPI; the output is a sharp PNG embedded in the PDF. Upload takes a PNG or JPG of an existing signature (e.g. a scan, or one exported from a phone notes app); transparent PNGs land cleanly without a white box around them. All three end up in the same palette and can be placed identically.
When is a visual signature enough?
A signature is legally meaningful when it shows that a specific person agreed to the contents of a document. The bar varies by jurisdiction and document type. In most everyday contexts — internal approvals, school forms, vendor agreements under a few thousand dollars, NDAs, leases, consent forms — a visual signature (a scan of a hand signature, or a stamped image like the ones this tool produces) is treated as binding because it shows intent and the parties acknowledge it. Regulated contexts are different: real estate transactions, mortgage documents, regulated financial agreements, prescription orders, and government filings often require certified e-signatures (eIDAS in the EU, ESIGN / UETA in the US, MCA-recognised digital signatures in India). Those require a third-party certificate authority that verifies signer identity and produces a tamper-evident audit trail — capabilities that a browser-only stamping tool can't provide. Use this tool when you need to sign and a visual signature is acceptable; use a notarised service when the receiving party requires verifiable identity binding.
Privacy and the browser-only model
The browser-only architecture isn't just a privacy feature — it's the only honest way to handle a signature workflow. Documents containing signatures are by definition documents you care about: contracts, releases, applications, releases of liability. Uploading them to a free online tool means trusting that vendor not to log the file, retain a copy, train a model on it, or breach in a way that exposes it later. None of those risks apply here, because the file never leaves your device. You can verify by opening the browser's DevTools network tab while signing — there are no uploads.
Common uses
Use Sign PDF whenever you need to add a signature to a PDF and a visual stamp is acceptable. Common scenarios:
Limits and constraints
Files up to 100 MB and 500 pages. Up to 10 signatures per session and 100 placements per document. Drawing strokes are capped at 4,000 points (smooth signatures don't get close). Typed signatures up to 60 characters. Uploaded images up to 5 MB, PNG or JPG only. PDFs that are password-protected or use uncommon encryption can't be opened — unlock them first with the Unlock PDF tool. The output is a flattened PDF; the stamped signatures become part of the page bitmap and can't be removed by the recipient.
Common Uses
- Internal approval forms: Sign expense reports, leave requests, project sign-offs, and HR forms inside the browser instead of printing, signing, scanning, and emailing.
- Vendor and client documents: Mark up NDAs, statements of work, and quotes that don't require a notarised e-sign service. Add a date stamp next to your signature for chronology.
- School and parent forms: Permission slips, field-trip waivers, school registration packets — sign once on a tablet and email back without finding a printer.
- Multi-page contracts requiring initials: Create a small "initials" signature once, then drop it on every page that asks for them — much faster than signing the same initials 30 times by hand.
- Bank and government forms: Many account-opening, address-change, or government applications still ask for a physical-style signature on a PDF. Sign locally and submit, no third-party upload required.
FAQ
Is a signature from this tool legally binding?
No. Sign PDF produces a visual signature — a stamped image of your hand-drawn or typed name. It is the digital equivalent of printing, signing, and scanning. It is not a cryptographic e-signature with a certificate. Many everyday documents (consent forms, school slips, internal approvals, casual contracts) accept visual signatures. Documents that fall under regulations like eIDAS (EU), ESIGN / UETA (US), or 21 CFR Part 11 (US pharma) require a certified e-signature service such as DocuSign, Adobe Sign, or your employer's notarisation tool. When in doubt, ask the requesting party which kind they need.
Where does my PDF go? Is anything uploaded?
Nothing leaves your device. The PDF is read into your browser's memory, the signature is composed locally with pdf-lib, and the signed file is offered back as a download. There is no server upload at any point — you can verify this in your browser's network tab while signing. The drawing data, typed text, uploaded image, and final PDF all live only in your browser tab and disappear when you close it.
Can I add more than one signature, or sign multiple pages?
Yes. Create as many signatures as you need (up to 10 per session) and place each one as many times as needed (up to 100 placements per document). The same signature can land on multiple pages — useful for long contracts that require initialling each page. The Placed sidebar shows every instance in the document; click any entry to jump to that page.
How does the drawing surface work?
Drawing uses perfect-freehand, a tiny library that renders pressure-sensitive freehand strokes. The result is a smooth vector path that scales cleanly when you resize the signature. On a stylus or touch device the stroke responds to pressure; on a mouse or trackpad it simulates pressure based on speed. The output is embedded in the PDF as a vector path, so the signature stays sharp at any zoom level.
Can I add a date next to the signature?
Each placed signature has an optional date stamp. Toggle Date in the per-instance toolbar to add today's date in D Mmm YYYY format under the signature. The date moves and resizes with the signature as a pair, so you can position the whole stamp in one go. Different placements can have date toggled on or off independently — useful when only one signature line on the page asks for a date.
What image formats does the Upload tab accept?
PNG and JPG up to 5 MB. PNG with a transparent background gives the cleanest result — most signatures saved as transparent PNGs (e.g. exported from a phone notes app) drop in cleanly without a white box around them. JPG works but bakes in a white background. SVG isn't supported in this tab; use the Draw tab instead, which produces vector output natively.
What are the size and quantity limits?
PDFs up to 100 MB and 500 pages, 10 signatures per session, 100 placements per document. The signature canvas is sampled to 4,000 stroke points at most. Typed signatures are limited to 60 characters. Uploaded images are capped at 5 MB. These are practical limits for a browser-only tool — beyond them, performance degrades. For larger documents, sign on the cover page only or split the PDF first using our Split PDF tool.