How to create an electronic signature

Create and save an electronic signature in Quick PDF

1. Open a PDF in Quick PDF Go to quickpdfapp.com, sign in with Google or email, and open any PDF you need to sign.
2. Tap Sign The signature panel opens with three options: draw, type and upload.
3. Create the signature Draw it in the box, type your name and choose a script font, or upload a clear photo of your signature on white paper.
4. Pick an ink color Choose black, blue or dark red. Black and blue are the usual choices for formal documents.
5. Turn on Save for next time Your signature is kept on this device for your account, so you can place it again without recreating it.
6. Place it and check the size Tap the page where it belongs, then drag and resize it so it sits naturally on the signature line.

Open Sign PDF

Option 1: Draw your signature

Drawing gives the most personal result. To make it look like your pen signature:

• On a phone: turn it sideways to get a wider box and sign with the pad of one finger, not the tip of a nail.
• On an iPad or tablet: a stylus such as an Apple Pencil gives the smoothest lines.
• On a laptop: a mouse is easier than a trackpad. On a trackpad, sign slowly and in one motion if you can.
• Everywhere: sign big. A large signature shrunk onto the page looks smoother than a small one stretched.

If you do not like the result, clear it and try again. Most people get a good one within three or four tries.

Option 2: Type your signature in a script font

Typing is the fastest and always looks tidy. Quick PDF offers six script fonts, each with a different personality:

Type the name exactly as the document shows it (for example, with or without a middle initial). Under US law a typed name can count as a signature when you intend it as one; this is general information, not legal advice.

Option 3: Upload a photo of your pen signature

This puts your real handwritten signature on every document:

1. Sign a blank sheet of bright white paper with a black or dark blue pen. A thicker pen shows up better than a fine one.
2. Photograph it in daylight or under a bright lamp, holding the phone directly above to avoid shadows and slant.
3. Crop the photo close around the signature in your phone's Photos app.
4. In Quick PDF, choose upload in the Sign panel and pick the photo.

If a gray box appears around the ink, retake the photo in better light. Paper texture and shadows are what create that box.

Initials, ink colors and multiple signatures

• Initials: many leases and contracts ask you to initial each page. Create a second signature with just your initials, typed or drawn, and place it in each initials box.
• Ink color: blue makes it easy to tell a signed original from a photocopy; black looks formal; dark red is rarely used for signatures, but useful for approval marks.
• Two signers on one device: each person can create their own signature when it is their turn to sign. Quick PDF does not send documents to others or track who signed; it is for adding signatures to a document you have open.

Signing a specific document now? See how to sign a PDF or how to sign a lease electronically.

Keeping your signature safe

Treat a saved signature like the pen signature it represents:

• Save it only on devices you control. In Quick PDF, Save for next time keeps it on that device for your account.
• Do not email a picture of your signature on its own to anyone who asks for it.
• After signing, download a copy for your records, and for fillable forms consider Flatten form so filled answers cannot be changed. See how to flatten a PDF.
• Send signed documents with personal information carefully; read how to send a PDF securely.

Quick PDF places an electronic signature image. It is not a certificate-based digital signature and it does not create an audit trail; if a sender needs that, see electronic vs digital signatures.

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