How to sign a PDF without printing, on your phone or PC

You can sign a PDF without printing it: draw your signature with your finger or mouse, or use a photo of it, place it on the page and save a new PDF. With the eThorns Sign PDF tool this happens in your browser, on a phone or a computer, and the file never leaves your device. Before you send it, check what the receiver accepts: a drawn signature is fine for many everyday papers, but some procedures require a certificate-based digital signature or their own platform.

What a drawn signature is, and what it isn't

A drawn signature is a picture of your handwritten signature placed on the page. It's the same as printing the document, signing it with a pen and scanning it, without the printer. In the broad sense it's an electronic signature: an electronic way of showing that you agree with a document.

It is not a digital signature. A digital signature uses cryptography (mathematical keys) and a certificate issued by a certification entity, a company authorized to confirm who you are. It proves who signed and shows whether the document changed after signing. An image proves neither: anyone who has the file can copy it, and nothing shows if the text is edited later.

Type	How it works	What it shows
Image of your signature	A picture of your signature pasted on the page	That the signature was placed there, not by whom or whether the text changed later
Signing on the entity's platform	You sign inside a bank's, company's or government's system, with a password, a code sent to your phone or similar	The platform keeps a record of who signed and when
Digital signature with a certificate	A cryptographic signature tied to a certificate issued to you	Who signed, and that the document hasn't changed since

What the law says in Colombia, in general terms

This is general information, not legal advice. Colombia has two main rules on the topic:

• Ley 527 de 1999 gives legal value to data messages, the legal name for electronic documents. It says a requirement for a signature can be met electronically if the method identifies the person, shows they approve the content, and is reliable and appropriate for the purpose. It also regulates digital signatures and certification entities.
• Decreto 2364 de 2012, now compiled in Decreto 1074 de 2015, regulates electronic signatures: methods such as codes, passwords, biometric data or private cryptographic keys that identify a person. Such a signature has the same validity as a handwritten one when it's reliable and appropriate for its purpose. The decree calls it reliable when the signing data belong only to the signer and any unauthorized change made after signing can be detected.

A pasted image, on its own, doesn't give those two guarantees. That doesn't make it useless: many people and organizations accept it for everyday documents, just as they accept a scanned signature. Whether it's enough depends on the document and on who receives it. In Colombia, digital signature certificates come from certification entities accredited by ONAC, the national accreditation body. Other countries have their own laws, often with similar levels.

Ask the receiver first

The quickest way to avoid a rejected document is to ask before you sign. A short message works: "Can I send the PDF with a drawn or scanned signature, or do you need a digital signature with a certificate, or signing on your platform?"

• A drawn signature is often accepted for things like a school permission slip, a quote you accept, a lease annex or an internal company form.
• Banks, notaries, courts and government agencies often have their own rules. Some require a certificate-based signature, or ask you to sign inside their own platform.
• If the receiver sends you a link to sign on its platform, use that. It already handles the signature for you.

How to sign a PDF, step by step

1. Open the file. Go to Sign PDF and drop your PDF, or tap to choose it. Your browser reads it on your device. A password-protected PDF won't open: open it with its password and save a copy without one first.
2. Draw your signature. Sign in the box with your finger, mouse or stylus, and choose black or blue ink. Press Clear to start again.
3. Or use a photo of it. Sign on a white sheet with a dark pen, take a well-lit photo and crop it close to the signature. Upload it with "Photo of your signature", then move "Remove background" until the paper disappears and only the ink is left.
4. Place it. Type the page number in Page, then click or tap where the signature goes. A dashed box shows exactly where it will land. Use Size to fit it on the line. With a keyboard, the arrow keys move it.
5. Add a line of text if it helps. Tick "Add text below": today's date is filled in, and you can change it. Writing the date and the purpose, such as "Lease annex, 24 September 2026", makes it harder to reuse your signature on another document.
6. Download. Press "Sign and download". You get a new file with "-signed" added to its name. Each download adds one signature: to sign another page, drop the signed file and repeat.
7. Check it. Open the signed PDF and look at every page before you send it.

Why eThorns signs in your browser

The documents people sign are often the most private ones they have: contracts, leases, copies of their ID, bank forms. Many online PDF services upload your file to their servers to process it. Sign PDF doesn't. The PDF, your signature and the signed file stay on your device, and they're gone when you close the page. We never see them, and your signature isn't stored anywhere.

Put the pages together first

Often you must send everything as one PDF: the signed contract, a copy of your ID, a certificate.

1. If some documents are photos, turn them into a PDF with JPG to PDF. Choose Letter or A4 to match the rest.
2. Join the files with Merge PDF. Put them in order with the arrow buttons, then press "Merge and download". Fill in any form fields before merging, because they may stop being fillable afterwards.
3. Sign the merged file, on the page that needs it.

Merging doesn't make files smaller. If a portal has a size limit, reduce your photos first: see how to compress a photo for a form. All three tools work in your browser, without uploads.

Quick checklist

• I asked the receiver which kind of signature it accepts.
• My signature sits on the right page and line, at a sensible size.
• I added the date, and the purpose if it helps.
• I checked every page of the signed PDF.
• I'm sending it only to the people who need it.

Frequently asked questions

Is a drawn signature legally valid?

It depends on the document and on who receives it. Many accept it for everyday papers. For some procedures, the law or the entity requires a certificate-based digital signature. Ask the receiver before you send.

What's the difference between an electronic and a digital signature?

Electronic signature is the broad term for any electronic way of signing, from a code to a drawn image. A digital signature is one specific kind, based on cryptography and a certificate, that shows who signed and whether the document changed.

Can someone copy my signature from the PDF?

Yes. It's an image inside the file, and anyone who has the PDF can extract it. Send signed documents only to the people who need them, and add the date and purpose below the signature.

Can I sign on my phone?

Yes. Open Sign PDF in your phone's browser, draw with your finger and download the signed file. Nothing is installed or uploaded.

Try it

• 6.16Sign PDFDraw your signature or upload a photo of it, place it on any page of a PDF and download the signed file.
• 6.7Merge PDFCombine several PDFs into one in your browser.
• 6.13JPG to PDFTurn JPG, PNG and WebP images into one PDF in your browser.