Signing and certifying documents

You can use the Signature service to sign and certify PDF documents by using any credential that the service can access. When signing or certifying, specify the signature field to use.

The following limitations apply to dynamic Adobe PDF forms when used with the Signature service:

  • You cannot sign a visible or an invisible signature field.

  • You can certify invisible signature fields.

  • You can certify visible signature fields only if the Signature service is configured to process documents with Acrobat 9 compatibility. The form can only be viewed using Acrobat or Adobe Reader 9.

Note: For all types of forms, Acrobat or Adobe Reader users can delete signatures that the Signature service added.

When signing or certifying forms, the following information can be specified:

Credential:
The credential that contains the private key to use to create the digital signature.

Document MDP permissions:
When certifying, the changes that users can perform on the document without invalidating the certification.

Revocation information:
Whether to embed revocation information in the signature to use for validating the signer’s certificate. The information enables OCSP-checking and CRL-checking.

Time stamp information:
Whether to create a timestamp for the signature and the information required to perform the timestamp transaction with the timestamp provider.

Appearance:
Properties that affect the appearance of the signature when it is viewed using Acrobat or Adobe Reader. These properties can be the reason for signing, the contact information of the signer, a legal attestation, and the icons to use.

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