Using Digital Signature in a PDF File

This video details how to use the new Sign & Certify panel for digital signatures, including the new Time Stamp Document tool, in Acrobat X.

---

Closed Caption:

there are many techniques you can use to
electronically sign a PDF file but each
method varies in terms of reliability
long-term validity and application in
this video tutorial will discuss the
various ways you can electronically sign
a document in Acrobat 10 and what has
changed from acrobat nine if you have
used previous versions of Acrobat
the first thing you'll notice an acrobat
10 is that the user interface has been
completely reorganized to help with
efficiency in your daily tasks access to
the digital signature tool can be found
underneath the tools sign and certified
panel you can also customize your
toolbar to easily add commonly used
functions like the signed document
command without having to use the
sidebar panel simply select the
customized quick tools icon in the top
menu select sign and certify and select
the signed document icon
this command will now be placed in the
top menu and will appear every time you
launch acrobat
let's start by discussing the most basic
method for electronically signing a
document that was introduced in acrobat
nine the apply ink signature tool
this is a very simple tool that allows
you to quickly add a signature to the
document much like a fact signature
however this type of signature will not
like out changes or provide notification
if something has been changed in the
document
so it is not suitable for many
applications to apply in a signature
simply click apply in signature tool and
use your mouse to add a free hand
signature anywhere within the document
i'm going to go ahead and delete this
ink signature and briefly touch on a new
feature in Acrobat 10 the timestamp
document tool in previous versions of
Acrobat a user could apply a digital
signature and then apply a timestamp to
that identity-based signature in Acrobat
10 however a user can apply just a
timestamp to a document allowing one to
assert the existence and nature of a
document at any given time you'll need a
timestamp server configured and it will
not be visible and document self but
only in the side panel this time
stamping feature is the first of many
changes that have been made to make
acrobat and reader 10 compatible with
the PDF advanced electronic signature
standard or paties the next tool will
discuss in the sign and certify panel is
a signed document tool which allows you
to digitise on your PDF file
this can lock down the document and
notify recipients that changes have been
made after the signature is applied
resulting in higher trust in the
document the place signature tool
located below is similar to the signed
document tool and it's useful if you
would like to create a pre-existing
location for all documents signers to
use i'll go ahead and use the signed
document tool to sign this particular
document acrobat promise me to click and
drag to draw the area for the signature
next I'm prompted to add my digital ID
to the signature area within Acrobat you
can create a self-signed digital ID or
use digital ideas that are purchased
from third-party certificate authorities
I'll add a self-signed digital ID to
this document for demonstration purposes
selling digital IDs are convenient but
they do not offer the recipient of your
document any proof of the signers
identity
the signers budgeting for his or herself
however this may be sufficient for
personal use or small to medium sized
businesses exchanging documents and
trusted relationships
on the other hand digital ID from
third-party certificate authorities can
validate your identity and provide
better assurance as your digital
signature which is necessary in many
applications
next I'm prompted where to store the
sell-side digital ID and the new p kc s
file or the windows certificate store
then I prompted to enter my identity
information
the next screen designates where the
digital ID file will be stored which you
want to note for backup purposes and to
create a password for every time you
sign with your digital ID
once I've completed the process for
creating a self-signed digital ID the
new ID will appear automatically in the
sign has pulled on now that I've created
my new digital ID i can now sign this
document i simply add my previously
created password
I can also change the appearance of my
digital signature for example i can add
a graphic that resembles the actual
appearance of my signature
you can also choose to select the lock
document after signing checkbox which
disallows future changes to the document
when i click the assign button I will be
prompted to save the document with the
new digital signature
there's also another set of nested items
under the sign and certify panel when
you click the more sign and certify tool
here's where you'll find the security
settings century to trust that energy
settings as well as tools to import and
export security settings
the bottom tools and assign certified
panel which are grayed out because this
file has already been signed focus on
certifying a PDF file the intention of
certifying a document means to prove the
identity of where it came from and then
restricting what others can subsequently
due to the document for example changing
the content signing on the other hand
means you agree to the content we take a
look at how to create a digital
signature an acrobat 10
now let's take a look at what a
recipient will see when opening a PDF
with a digital signature
the first thing you'll notice the first
time you launch acrobat or reader 10 in
this case and open a digitally signed
document is the following dialogue
this dialogue announces the capability
for acrobat and reader 10 to download
certificates from the adobe approved
trust list certificates on this list had
been verified to issue certificates of a
higher Assurance quality the most and
that's our trusted automatically in
acrobat and reader many national
governments are included in this list as
well as top certification authorities
from around the world
this list is updated every 30 days and
we recommend you click OK to get the
best experience
the next thing you may notice when
opening a PDF with a digital signature
is a blue status bar at the top
this will notify you the document has
been signed and if the signatures are
valid a great n provides many methods
for electronically sign in your PDF each
with varying levels of reliability and
long-term validity the new user
interface sign and certify panel and
customized quick tools also provide easy
access to all the necessary tools you
need one electronically sent in your
documents