You place signature fields on a PDF by opening it in the signing designer, choosing a field type, dropping a box on the page and dragging it to the signature line, then saying which signer it belongs to. When every signer has at least one field, you send it, and each person signs their own boxes in turn.
Steps
- Start a signing request from a document in a room, or upload one. PDFs work on every paid plan; Word, Excel and PowerPoint files need Pro, and are converted to a PDF, which is what everyone signs.
- Add your signers in signing order. The list order is the signing order: drag a signer up or down to change it. A summary reads back who signs first and who signs next. Add yourself if you are countersigning.
- Pick a field type: signature, initials, name, email, date, text or checkbox.
- Press Place on page. A box drops onto the page you are viewing. Drag it onto the line, and drag its bottom-right corner to resize it. Alignment guides appear while you drag, and Snap to grid keeps boxes in line.
- Assign it to a signer. With more than one signer, each field says who it belongs to, and each signer's boxes have their own colour. Right-click a box to duplicate it, duplicate it for another signer, or copy and paste its size.
- Mark it required or optional. Fields you place are required by default; untick Required for anything a signer may leave blank.
- Repeat on every page that needs a field. Page through the document and place boxes where each signature, initial or date goes.
- Confirm the document needs no witness and send. Every signer needs at least one field before the request can go.
Let the document place them for you
- A fillable PDF: if the document already has form fields from its author, the designer offers to import them, as required fields, and you choose which signer they belong to.
- A flat PDF: if it has none, the designer looks for signing lines, such as the word Signature or a line of underscores, and offers to place optional fields there. Drag any that land in the wrong place.
- A document drafted in 99 Data Rooms: where a contract drafted in the Legal Hub has exactly two signature lines for its two parties, the signature fields are placed for you.
Nothing is placed without you seeing it: each suggestion appears as a banner with a Place them button.
What each signer sees
Each signer is emailed when it is their turn; anyone later in the order sees that they are waiting on the signers before them. The signer's own fields are highlighted, with a count of required fields still to complete and a button that jumps to the next one. A signature or initials box opens a pad where they can draw or type their signature, text, name, email and date fields fill in on the page, and a checkbox ticks. They confirm that they have reviewed the document and agree that their electronic signature is the equivalent of a handwritten one, then submit. A signer can also decline, with a reason.
When everyone has signed, each party receives the executed PDF with its certificate of completion, which records the signer's network location (privacy-protected), intent-to-sign consent, timestamps, SHA-256 fingerprint. Our guide to the e-signature audit trail explains each part.
Plans and limits
| Plus | Pro and Business | |
|---|---|---|
| E-signature requests | 5 a month | Unlimited |
| Signers per request | Up to 2, in order | More than 2, in order |
| Word, Excel and PowerPoint files | No, PDF only | Yes, converted to PDF |
The Free plan does not include e-signature; Plus is £19/mo. Files can be up to 100 MB. Signers always sign in the order you set: there is no option to send to everyone at once, and our guide to getting a document signed in the right order covers ordering in detail. You can edit a request after sending until the first person signs.
Documents that need more than a signature
Before you send, you confirm that the document does not need a witness or a statutory form, and that confirmation is recorded with the request and on its certificate. Under the law of England and Wales an electronic signature is valid for most commercial documents, but a deed needs a witness who is physically present, and wills, land transfers and lasting powers of attorney have their own formal rules, so do not send those here. Our guide to whether electronic signatures are legal in England and Wales has the detail.
Frequently asked questions
Can I drag a field from a toolbar onto the page? You pick the type first, then press Place on page, and the box appears on the page you are viewing. From there you drag it into position and resize it.
Can two people sign at the same time? No. Signers sign one after another, in the order you set, and each is emailed when it is their turn.
What if my PDF already has form fields? The designer offers to import them as required fields, so you only need to say which signer each belongs to.
Can I put a field on every page at once? No. Fields belong to the page they are placed on, so place one on each page that needs it; right-click a box to duplicate it.
Can a signer type their signature? Yes. The signature pad has Draw and Type, and a typed signature is shown in a handwriting-style font.
Send your first one
Open a PDF you need signed, place its fields and send it. E-signature starts on Plus at £19/mo, and pricing shows what each plan includes.
Sources
- Electronic signatures and deeds: Law Commission, Electronic execution of documents (Law Com No 386, 2019), https://lawcom.gov.uk/project/electronic-execution-of-documents/
- Electronic Communications Act 2000, section 7, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/7/section/7
Our prices on this page are UK prices in GBP and include VAT where it applies. Checkout shows the price for your country, and any tax added to it.