Create the signature appearance

You can set the appearance of your digital signature by selecting options in the Security Preferences. For example, you can include an image of your handwritten signature, a company logo, or a photograph. You can also create alternate signature appearances that you use for different purposes. For some, you may want to provide a greater level of detail.

A signature appearance can also include information that helps others verify your signature, such as certificate revocation status, reasons for signing, contact information, and more. By selecting these preferences, you add options to the Sign Document dialog box that appears each time you sign a PDF.

graphic
Signature formats


A.
Text signature 
B.
Graphic signature
  1. If you want to include an image of your handwritten signature in the digital signature, scan your signature and save it as an image file. Place the image in a document by itself, and convert the document to PDF.
  2. Choose Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Acrobat (Mac OS) > Preferences, select Security on the left, and then click New to create a new signature appearance.
  3. In the Configure Signature Appearance dialog box, type a title for the signature appearance. When you sign a document, you select the signature appearance by its title, so use a short, descriptive title.
  4. For Configure Graphic, choose an option:
    Option Description
    No Graphic

    Displays only the default digital signature icon and other information specified in the Configure Text section.
    Imported Graphic

    Displays an image with your digital signature. Select this option to include an image of your handwritten signature. To import the image file, click File, click Browse, select the image file, click Select, and then click OK (Windows) or Select (Mac OS).
    Name

    Displays only the default digital signature icon and your name as it appears in your digital ID file.
  5. For Configure Text, select the options that you want to appear in the signature. Distinguished Name shows the user attributes defined in your digital ID, including your name, organization, and country.
    Important: To include a reason and a location in your signature, you must select those options both in this dialog box and in the Advanced Preferences.
  6. For Text Properties, specify the writing direction and type of digits (Western or Arabic-Indic) used, and then click OK.
  7. Click Advanced Preferences, click the Creation tab, select any of the following, click OK, and click OK again:
    Option Description
    Include Signature’s Revocation Status When Signing

    Embeds information about whether your certificate is valid or has been revoked (required for signature validation). Selecting this option speeds the validation process by not having to go online to determine whether the certificate has been revoked.
    Show Reasons When Signing

    Adds your reason for signing to the signature field. When you sign a PDF, a menu appears in the Sign Document dialog box from which you can select the option that best describes your reason for signing the PDF.
    Show Location And Contact Information When Signing

    Adds your location information to the signature field. Contact information appears on the Signer tab of the Signature Properties dialog box. When you sign a PDF, text boxes appear in the Sign Document dialog box where you can type this information.

    Enable Reviewing Of Document Warnings

    Analyzes documents in a signing workflow for content that might change the document appearance and then provides an option in the Sign Document dialog box to review this content. Specify Always, Never, or When Certifying A Document. Available options depend on the Prevent Signing Until Document Warning Are Reviewed setting.
    Prevent Signing Until Document Warnings Are Reviewed

    Enable this option to require the signer to review document warnings before signing or certifying a document. Specify Always, Never, or When Certifying A Document.
    To edit or delete a signature appearance, select it in the Appearance box, and then click Edit or Delete.
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