Before you sign a PDF

You can expedite the signing process and optimize your results by making the following preparations in advance:

Note: Some situations require using particular digital IDs for signing. For example, a corporation or government agency can require individuals to use only digital IDs issued by that agency to sign official documents. Find out about the digital signature policies of your organization to determine the proper source of your digital ID.
  • Obtain a digital ID, or create a self-signed digital ID in Acrobat.
    Note: You cannot create self-signed digital IDs from within FIPS mode.
  • Set the default signing method.

  • Create an appearance for your digital signature. For information about creating an appearance, see Create the signature appearance.

  • Use Preview Document mode to suppress any dynamic content that can alter the appearance of the document and mislead you into signing an unsuitable document. For information about using the Preview Document mode, see Sign in Preview Document mode.

  • Review all the pages in a document before you sign. Documents can contain signature fields on multiple pages.

For a quick look at how to create a digital signature, see “Creating a Digital ID Profile in Acrobat 9” at www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1272552.