You need to add lines to a PDF or markup a PDF by drawing lines, and you don’t know how? This online tool will help you draw on a PDF file freehand or by adding shapes.

PDFs are an excellent document format to use for receiving and sending information online. The PDF is particularly useful if you’re editing a document for someone and want to notate that changes need to be made to a document. For this reason, you may be wondering if you can draw on a PDF and how to do so. Drawing on a PDF may not be possible with some PDF readers.

To draw on a PDF, you’ll need to use a PDF editor. PDF.Live’s online editor lets you make edits entirely in your browser. You don’t need to download and install special software. We’ll show how you can draw, make lines, and otherwise mark up a PDF as you see fit entirely online using the PDF.Live editor.

Before you begin, you’ll need to convert your PDF to an editable PDF. This is very simple: Just drag and drop your PDF into the editor or click Select File to Edit and navigate to the PDF in your file browser.

Once you’ve uploaded your PDF, select Edit PDF to get started.

Tips for Using PDF Drawing Markup Tools

To draw on a PDF, in the PDF.Live toolbar, click the Draw option. This will turn your cursor into a + sign. 

You’ll see a few different formatting options for your PDF drawing. 

• The Weight changes the thickness of your drawing
• The Opacity affects how transparent your drawing is
• The Color changes the color of your drawing
• Erase removes existing drawings that you’ve made

This drawing won’t be constrained to straight lines or angles. It’s a free draw, which means it will take on whatever shape you draw.

For drawing Straight Lines, navigate to the Shapes tab on the toolbar and select the Line tool. 

Line tool: Allows you to create a single straight line

Curve tool: Lets you make a curved line by clicking two points and then dragging to adjust the angle of the curve. 

Upon selecting one of these options, you’ll then be prompted to draw a line on your PDF wherever you choose. You can also create shapes in this section by selecting the Square, Polygon, or Circle tools. 

Much like the freehand draw tool, these tools change your cursor to a + sign, which lets you click and drag anywhere in your PDF to create a shape to your sizing specifications. 

As with the draw tool, you can change the formatting settings of your shapes on the toolbar. You can also adjust the opacity of the shape if you want a transparent highlight effect. Or, you can remove the fill altogether for a hollow box to better call out a section of a PDF. 

You can use the shape tool alongside the freehand draw tool to make more nuanced edits or drawings in your PDFs. 

We’ll also point out the Eraser (E) tool, which lets you remove any shapes or drawings that you’ve created. 

Consider trying out PDF.Live’s powerful editor tool today to draw on a PDF and more. Select “Start Free Trial” and simplify your PDF workflow. 

The post How to Draw on a PDF Online appeared first on pdf.live.

• How do I add or put a signature to a PDF?
• How do I insert a signature into a PDF?
• How do I sign online PDF forms?
• How do you sign a PDF form or file online?
• How can you electronically write a signature on a PDF?

What’s the Best Way to Sign Things Online?

There are a few ways to sign documents online depending on what you need signed. Some will be free, while others require a payment or subscription. Some methods may create “legally valid” signatures, while others will serve for any unofficial document that requires acknowledgement that you read it.

PDF.Live provides an online signing tool that will let you either add your signature or upload a photograph of your signature. This tool is good for non-official use. 

How Do I Put My Signature On a PDF Online?

This software-free tool functions entirely in your browser, allowing you to upload your PDF, sign it, and download the signed file.

Once you locate the PDF you’d like to sign on your computer, you will be prompted to drag and drop it in the tool. Once you’re ready to start, select Sign PDF on the left side of the editing tools. 

Upon selecting this, you will then be taken into the PDF.Live editor. This online editor has additional functions that we encourage you to explore to make changes, edits, annotations, and more on your PDF. For now, we’ll be focusing on the signing feature.

3 Ways to Sign PDFs

In the PDF.Live toolbar, click the Sign option to sign your PDF using the PDF.Live editor. 

Clicking the New Signature button will cause a dialogue box to appear in the PDF.Live editor that details the different methods you can use to add a signature to your PDF.

Using this dialogue box, you can Draw, Type, or Upload a picture of your signature to be added to your PDF.
1. Draw a signature

If you’re comfortable using a mouse and don’t need your signature to be perfect, you can draw it by clicking and dragging your mouse in the blank area of the dialogue box.

The colored circles allow you to change the color of your pen and signature: black, red, or blue.

The paintbrush on the far right allows you to erase whatever marks you’ve made in the signature section and start from scratch.

In this example, we’ve used the red pen and medium thickness to create a cursive initial.

2. Type your signature

The type feature will create a cursive approximation of a signature by simply typing the keys on the keyboard you’d like to be included in your signature.

As with the draw feature, you can change the color of your signature to black, blue, or red. But you can also change the text style using the drop-down on the left side to have a few different variations of the signature using different fonts.

3. Upload and insert a signature

The third option is to upload a signature. Create New Signature, select Upload, and then drag and drop your signature file or choose a signature to upload from your computer.

The upload option lets you upload a picture of your signature for use throughout your document.

Select Choose a signature and then navigate to where the picture of your signature is located on your PC to upload it to the PDF.Live editor. This picture will need to be a .jpg, .png, or .jpeg. Take a photo of your signature using your phone camera or scan it using a document scanner and send it to yourself. Store this picture on your computer.

Once you’re done, you can check the box that says Create to use the signature later on whenever you need it. Your cursor will turn into your signature.

4. Move and place your signature

You can then click anywhere in your document to place a signature. Once you’ve placed it, you can resize it as you would any other PDF.Live object. Select the check mark when you’re happy with the placement of the signature. If you’d like to resize it, select a dot in one of the corners to drag it and resize it.

Created multiple signatures? Check your saved signatures by clicking Saved Signature under the Sign tab. 

Is an E-Signature Official?

PDF.Live’s signatures are not necessarily legally binding. (Always seek professional legal advice for your applicable jurisdictions.) They are considered electronic signatures. The signature feature from PDF.Live does not meet the U.S. Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act of 2000 (ESIGN) or the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA).

What is an e-signature?

An electronic signature, or e-signature, is defined as signing your name to a PDF online or using a computer or mobile device to draw your signature. Unlike a digital signature, an e-signature may or may not be legally binding (we’re not in the business to give legal advice, so if you need a legally binding document signed, check with an attorney).

Why would you need to create an electronic signature?

There are plenty of examples where e-signatures are used, including:

• Your annual Christmas letter, birthday cards, holiday wishes
• A letter of resignation (although your HR manager might require something more formal and legally binding)
• Notes to or from your children’s teachers, permission slips
• A memo from a manager to employees (PDF sent by email)
• Meeting notes with action items from team members

An electronic signature, or e-signature, helps indicate that you approve of or acknowledge a piece of information contained in a document. An official signature on a legally binding document typically requires a digital signature.

What Is a Digital Signature?

A digital signature uses a mathematical algorithm to verify that the signature you provided is verifiably yours. You can think of the digital signing process as similar to getting a virtual fingerprint. It’s much more complicated, but also more secure than an e-signature. PDF.Live does not provide digital signature services, which are typically offered through financial institutions, legal firms, and other businesses that handle sensitive documents.

Some examples of cases in which you’d need a digital signature are:

• Credit card/financial documents
• Legal documents
• Contracts (such as real estate closing documents)

If someone sends you a document and requires a digital signature, they’ll typically send you the document through a third party verified and secure service. Likewise, if you have a document that needs to be digitally signed (encrypted and secured), those services are worth checking out. Most offer one-time use fees or very low-priced individual plans. We describe two such services next.

Signing papers online with an e-sign service

For a secure and simple way to add a signature and manage files, look for encrypted document signing software, such as Rabbit Sign.

This may be ideal for anyone who deals with a high level of documents to be signed, but they don’t require a lot of complicated other features like checkboxes and fill forms (there are better platforms for this). Additionally, covered entities and healthcare businesses can register with Rabbit Sign for HIPAA-compliant e-signing. Its site says its signatures meet SOC 2 and ISO 27001 compliance (read about that here).

For the recipient, it’s as simple as typing their name in the field marked Insert signature (always read the terms and conditions so you understand the legality of the e-sign service).

Encrypted digital signature service

For official documents that require a signature that’s verified to be attached to your identity, consider a digital signature service that specializes in creating verified signatures for documents.

As an example, DocuSign provides electronic signature and notary services online. DocuSign is free to try and verifies the identity of a signatory through taking a photo of an ID card.

Services like DocuSign are intended for customers who need to repeatedly create signatures online or sign multiple online documents. If you only need to sign a couple of documents that don’t require verified proof of your identity, you may end up paying an excessive amount of money for an official electronic signature that you don’t need. You might also explore PandaDoc, Adobe Sign, Hello Sign, DocHub and many others that offer these secure, encrypted and verified signature services.

*The information in this article and throughout PDF.Live’s website is for informational and educational purposes only, and should not be taken as professional legal advice. The signature feature from PDF.Live does not meet the U.S. Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act of 2000 (ESIGN) or of the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA). 

The post How Do You Sign a Document Online? appeared first on pdf.live.