Draw, type or upload your signature in Document eSign
The signature window has three ways to make a signature. Draw with a mouse or finger, type your name in one of six scripts, or upload a PNG or JPG of your real signature.
Click any signature field and the Add your signature window opens on the Draw tab. Switch to Type to render your name in a script font, or Upload to use a PNG or JPG of your real signature. Whichever you choose, click Use this signature to place it.
The result is the same in every case: a transparent image scaled to fit the field and stamped into the PDF when you finish. Nobody receiving the document can tell which method you used, and all three are legally binding. The electronic signature legality page explains why.
Draw
Best on a touchscreen. Draw inside the box with a finger or a mouse. The line is always dark ink regardless of your device's theme.
- Clear at the top right wipes the box for another go.
- Switching to another tab keeps your drawing. Come back and it is still there.
- On a phone the window fills the screen. Turn the phone sideways for a wider box.
If a mouse signature keeps coming out cramped, do not fight it. Use Type instead.
Type
Type your full name in the Full name box (it is pre-filled with the name the sender used) and pick a script from the strip underneath. Six are available: Pinyon Script, Mrs Saint Delafield, Dancing Script, Herr Von Muellerhoff, Permanent Marker and Rock Salt. The preview above updates as you type.
Pinyon Script and Mrs Saint Delafield look like a formal cursive signature. Dancing Script and Herr Von Muellerhoff are looser, closer to a quick scrawl. The last two, Permanent Marker and Rock Salt, read as handwriting rather than a signature, so most people skip them for contracts. Names are cut at 60 characters.
Upload
Click the box to choose a PNG or JPG (up to 2 MB). A preview appears, and Remove swaps it for another file.
For a clean result, sign on white paper with a dark pen, photograph it straight on in good light, and crop tightly. A PNG with a transparent background looks best because nothing white overlaps the document's lines. Large photos are reduced automatically, so there is no need to resize first.
Stamp fields work the same way but only offer Upload, since a stamp is an image of a seal or logo rather than a signature. If you sign often, set a default signature and initials once and skip this window next time.
Place it
- Read the line under the tabs: by clicking Use this signature you agree that this image is the electronic representation of your signature on documents.
- Leave Apply to all my signature fields ticked to fill every signature field assigned to you at once. Untick it to fill only this one.
- Click Use this signature (Use on a phone).
The image lands in the field. Click the field again at any time before finishing to open the window and replace it. Your signature is also remembered on this browser, so the next signature field on this document, or on a later one opened on the same device, fills with one click.
If something goes wrong
- Use this signature is greyed out. The current tab is empty. Draw, type or choose a file first.
- The upload is rejected. Either the file is not a PNG or JPG or it is over 2 MB. Export a smaller JPG or take a fresh photo.
- My uploaded signature has a grey box around it. The photo background is not pure white. Increase the brightness before uploading, or use a PNG with a transparent background.
- The typed preview shows a plain font instead of a script. Script fonts are still downloading. Wait a second and pick the style again.
- I drew on the wrong field. Click the field, the window reopens, and you can draw or type something different. It only replaces that one field unless you tick Apply to all again.
Frequently asked questions
Which method should I use?
Draw on a phone or tablet, where a finger gives a natural line. Type at a desk, where mouse drawing looks shaky, and pick the script that reads closest to your hand. Upload only when you need your exact wet-ink signature, for example to match a signature card a bank already holds.
What image formats and size can I upload?
PNG or JPG up to 2 MB. Use a photo or scan of your signature on plain white paper with nothing else in frame. The image is shrunk to fit the field, so a sharp, well-lit picture matters more than a big one. Screenshots of a signature from another document also work.
Does a typed signature count legally?
Yes. The law cares about intent and the record, not the shape of the mark. You consent to sign electronically before the document opens, and the audit trail records who signed and when. A typed name in a script font carries the same weight as a drawn one. Our electronic signature legality page covers the detail.
Can I use a different signature and initials?
Yes. Signature fields and initials fields open separate windows. The initials window pre-fills the Type tab with the initials taken from your name, so most people accept those and only draw the full signature. Each kind is remembered separately on this browser.
What does Apply to all my signature fields do?
It fills every other signature field assigned to you on the document with the same image the moment you click Use this signature. It is ticked by default. Untick it when a document needs a different mark in each place, such as a witness block, and each field will open its own window.
Keep going
How to sign a document you received
Open the link in the email, agree to sign electronically, fill each highlighted field, and click Sign now. No account needed.
ReadReuse a saved signature when signing
Signed in to Document eSign, the signature window opens on a Saved tab with your stored signatures and initials, and your default is already selected.
ReadSet your default signature and initials
Save a signature once from the dashboard, add initials under Settings > Profile, and both are pre-selected every time you sign a document.
ReadManage your saved signatures
Add signatures, initials and stamps to your account, mark one of each as the default, and delete the ones you no longer want.
Read