1. What Is a Digital Signature?
A digital signature (also called an electronic signature or e-signature) is any electronic mark you attach to a document to indicate your approval or agreement. Unlike a signature scrawled on paper, a digital signature lives inside the PDF file itself — no printer, no pen, no scanner required.
There are two broad categories of digital signatures, and understanding the difference matters for legal and business purposes:
Simple Electronic Signature
A drawn, typed, or uploaded signature image. Fast, convenient, and legally valid for the vast majority of everyday contracts and agreements. This is what PDF.it uses.
Qualified / Certificate-Based Signature
A cryptographic signature tied to a digital certificate from a government-accredited trust authority. Required for specific regulated transactions like notarial acts or government filings.
Bottom line: For freelance contracts, NDAs, rental agreements, offer letters, vendor agreements, and most business documents — a simple electronic signature is entirely sufficient and legally enforceable. Certificate-based signatures are only needed for a narrow set of highly regulated document types.
2. Is It Legally Valid?
Electronic signatures are recognized by law in every major country. Here is the legal foundation in the regions most relevant to PDF.it users:
United States — ESIGN Act (2000)
The Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act gives electronic signatures the same legal standing as handwritten signatures for virtually all commercial and personal contracts. The UETA (Uniform Electronic Transactions Act) covers state-level transactions in 49 states. Exceptions include wills, court orders, foreclosures, and certain insurance cancellations.
European Union — eIDAS Regulation (2016)
The eIDAS regulation creates a pan-EU framework with three tiers: Simple Electronic Signature (SES), Advanced Electronic Signature (AES), and Qualified Electronic Signature (QES). SES — the type used in PDF.it — is legally valid across the EU for most business contracts. QES is the highest tier, equivalent to a handwritten signature for all legal purposes but requires a qualified trust service provider.
Brazil — MP 2.200-2 (2001) + Law 14.063/2020
Brazil recognizes three signature levels under the ICP-Brasil framework: Simple (eletrônica simples), Advanced (avançada), and Qualified (qualificada via ICP-Brasil certificate). Simple digital signatures — draw, type, or upload — are legally valid for private contracts between individuals and businesses. Government documents and high-value real estate transactions typically require an ICP-Brasil qualified signature.
When in doubt, consult a lawyer. While electronic signatures cover the overwhelming majority of business use cases, specific regulated industries (healthcare, financial services, real estate) may have additional requirements. This guide is informational, not legal advice.
3. Three Ways to Add Your Signature
PDF.it gives you three methods for creating your signature. Each suits different situations and preferences:
Draw Your Signature
Use your mouse, trackpad, or finger (on touch devices) to draw your signature freehand in the drawing canvas. This produces the most authentic-looking signature — one that actually resembles your handwriting.
Best for
Agreements where you want your actual handwriting represented. Legal contracts, offer letters, NDAs.
Works great on
Tablets and phones (draw with your finger), or desktop with a mouse or graphics tablet.
Type Your Signature
Type your name and PDF.it renders it in a cursive signature font. Choose from multiple font styles to find one that feels right. Quick, clean, and professional-looking.
Best for
Fast turnaround on routine documents. Vendor agreements, acknowledgements, form submissions.
Works great on
Desktop and laptop. Anyone who prefers a consistent, readable signature appearance every time.
Upload a Signature Image
Sign a piece of white paper with a dark pen, photograph or scan it, and upload the image. PDF.it places it on your document. For a clean result, use black ink on white paper in good lighting — or use a transparent PNG if you already have one.
Best for
Reusing a specific handwritten signature you have been using for years. High-value or formal agreements.
Pro tip
A transparent PNG with no background blends most naturally into the document page.
4. Step-by-Step: Sign a PDF with PDF.it
The entire process takes under two minutes from upload to signed download. Here is exactly what to do:
Go to the eSign tool
Visit pdf.it.com/esign in any browser — Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge. No app or plugin to install. The tool works on desktop and mobile.
Upload your PDF
Drag your PDF into the upload area or click to browse your files. Free users can upload files up to 25 MB. Business plan users can upload files up to 1 GB.
Create your signature
Choose Draw, Type, or Upload in the signature panel. Draw freehand with your mouse or finger, type your name and pick a font, or upload a signature image. Click Save Signature when done.
Place the signature on the page
Click Place on PDF, then click anywhere on the document page where you want the signature to appear. You can navigate between pages and place multiple signatures. Drag to reposition before applying.
Apply and download
When you are satisfied with the placement, click Apply Signatures. Your signature is permanently embedded into the PDF. Click Download to save the signed file to your device.
Sign a PDF now5. Who Uses eSign?
Electronic signatures have become standard across virtually every industry and profession. Here are the most common users — and why they switched from printing and scanning:
Freelancers & Consultants
Sign client contracts, project agreements, and work-for-hire documents without back-and-forth. Send a signed PDF in minutes, not days.
Small Business Owners
Vendor agreements, service contracts, and supplier agreements. Keep signed PDFs organized digitally instead of in physical filing cabinets.
HR & People Teams
Offer letters, NDAs, and onboarding paperwork. New hires can sign from anywhere before their first day. No courier, no fax.
Real Estate Agents
Rental agreements, buyer acknowledgements, and disclosure forms. Many real estate documents qualify for simple electronic signatures.
Legal Professionals
Routine legal correspondence, engagement letters, settlement agreements, and consent forms where a certified signature is not required.
Students & Academics
Permission forms, institutional agreements, scholarship applications, and research consent documents — all signable without a printer.
6. Security & Privacy
Signing a document means trusting the tool with something personal. Here is exactly how PDF.it handles your files and signature:
Files deleted after download
Your uploaded PDF and the resulting signed PDF are stored temporarily on our servers only for the duration of your session. They are automatically deleted after you download — no long-term storage of your documents.
No signature library stored server-side
PDF.it does not build a reusable signature database from your sessions. Your drawn, typed, or uploaded signature is used for the current document only and never persisted to a server-side library.
Encrypted file transfer
All file uploads and downloads happen over HTTPS (TLS encryption). Your files are never sent in plain text.
What the 'Signed with PDF.it™' watermark means
On the free tier, a small text watermark is added to the signed document to attribute the signing tool. This watermark does not affect the legal validity of the signature but is visible in the document. Upgrade to a Business plan to remove it completely.
7. Free vs Business eSign
You can try eSign for free right now. Here is what is included at each level:
Free
- Draw, type, or upload signature
- Place signature on any page
- Files up to 25 MB
- 3 free signings per day
- 'Signed with PDF.it™' watermark
Business — $13.99/mo
- Everything in Free
- No watermark on signed PDFs
- Unlimited signings
- Files up to 1 GB
- Batch signing (multiple files)
- PDF Redaction, Compare, Workflow
Business plan includes more than eSign. Your $13.99/month also covers PDF Redaction, Compare PDFs, Workflow Automation, and Table Extraction — making it the complete toolkit for professionals.
8. Frequently Asked Questions
Is an electronic signature legally binding?
Yes, in most everyday business situations. In the United States, the ESIGN Act (2000) gives electronic signatures the same legal weight as handwritten signatures for the vast majority of contracts and agreements. For highly regulated transactions — like wills, court orders, or mortgage deeds — a notarized or certificate-based signature may be required instead.
Do I need an account to eSign a PDF on PDF.it?
You can try eSign without an account for your first few files. To sign more documents and remove the watermark from the signed PDF, you need a Business plan ($13.99/month). Business includes eSign along with PDF Redaction, Compare PDF, Workflow Automation, and Table Extraction.
Can the other party verify my signature?
Simple electronic signatures (draw/type/upload) are verified by context — the signed PDF can be shared as evidence of agreement. They are not cryptographically verifiable the way a certificate-based qualified signature is. If you need full cryptographic verification, you need a certificate-based signature from a trust service provider.
Is my signature stored on PDF.it servers?
No. PDF.it is privacy-first for signatures. Your signature is used only for the current signing session and is never stored in a reusable library on our servers. Your signed PDF is also deleted from our servers after download.
What does the 'Signed with PDF.it™' watermark mean?
On the free tier, a small 'Signed with PDF.it™' text watermark appears on signed documents. Upgrading to a Business plan removes this watermark entirely, giving you clean, professional signed PDFs.
Can I sign on my phone or tablet?
Yes. PDF.it's eSign tool works in any modern mobile browser — no app needed. You can draw your signature with your finger on a touchscreen, then place it on any page of the document.
Ready to Sign Your First PDF?
No printing. No scanning. No software. Upload your PDF, place your signature, and download in under two minutes.