How to Sign Documents Online
The world has gone digital. While uploading documents and pictures to the web might be common at this point in time, there’s another important task being converted from print to digital: signing documents online.
The ability to send and receive important documents instantly by converting them to digital is convenient for a number of reasons. It saves paper, space and time — and it allows you to send, receive and store unlimited files on the web, taking them with you and accessing them anywhere you go.
But when it comes to important official documents — like divorce papers, medical records or business contracts — going digital doesn’t erase the need for a signature. The hassle of having to print out a document, sign it and then scan it to keep the digital chain going, means that much of that convenience is lost.
That’s where online signatures come in. Being able to sign documents online means never having to miss a deadline or delay a timeline because you have to find a printer and a pen or rush off to the office.
How to Sign Documents Online
There are a number of options for signing online documents. Some are better suited for certain purposes than others. For instance, signing a simple work agreement might not require the same level of security as signing a medical release form. The type of document that you need to sign, such as a PDF or Word Doc, also has an impact on how you sign it.
Using the Markup feature on a mobile device, for instance, could be a fast way to sign a document. However, this option won’t satisfy the legal requirements, such as when you need to sign a HIPAA form.
Using an online document signing service like jSign makes signing and sending documents from anywhere, at any time, a breeze.
Let’s take a closer look at the process of signing documents on the web.
Signing In To jSign
The first step in learning how to sign documents online is to create a jSign account. This process is fast and simple. All you need to enter is some basic information to create your account. There are several pricing and plan options to choose from, or you can take advantage of a free 14-day trial to see how jSign can work to fulfill your personal and professional needs.
After creating your account, log in directly to the jSign website in order to begin signing your electronic documents. The great advantage here is that you don’t have to download apps or plugins that can be difficult to sync across your multiple devices. One of the best features of an online-based document signing service is that you can quickly access your account from any device.
Uploading Your Document
After logging into your account, you’ll need to upload your document. Depending on the type of document that you need to sign, you have a few options for doing this. The first is to upload the file directly from your device. If you created the document on your computer or if you downloaded it after receiving it in an email, you’ll likely use this option.
jSign provides the option to upload a document directly from your Google Drive account as well. If the document is one that you’ve been collaborating on with your coworkers, or if it was too large to send via email and had to be uploaded to the Cloud instead, this is a great option.
In addition to Google Cloud, jSign also provides the option to upload documents directly from OneDrive or DropBox. Having these options available means that you won’t have to worry about downloading documents onto your device so that you can upload them to be signed.
No matter which uploading option you select, you’ll be able to work with a wide variety of documents, including PDFs, JPG, Docx, PPTs and more.
Inserting Placeholders and Adding Signatories
Once your document has been uploaded into jSign, you need to select who will be signing the document, as well as where you’d like the signatures to go. If you’ve already added contacts to your jSign account, you’ll be able to select the individuals from that list who will need to sign the document. Simply add your own signature and then send the document via jSign to your contact so they can sign.
If you don’t have contacts added to your account, you’re able to add their names and email addresses during this step.
Scroll through your document and select the places where you’ll be adding a signature. Each of these places will receive a placeholder that you are able to assign to each person signing the document. You can even mark which spots will hold each individual’s signature, and choose the order that they will sign in.
One benefit of any paid membership plan with jSign is that you’re able to add an unlimited number of individual signatures to each document.
Creating Your Signature
The most important step in signing online documents is creating your signature. If you’ve ever tried to sign a digital screen with your finger, you know how challenging this can be. The good news is that jSign makes it easier than ever.
After typing in your name, jSign automatically generates several signature options for you using various fonts. This makes it fast and easy to create a customized e-signature without having to try to draw it on your screen or using your mouse.
But if you want to create a more accurate depiction of your normal signature, you do still have the option of drawing your own signature. You can use a stylus or Apple Pencil to create a more accurate signature on a tablet or smartphone. On your desktop, you can use your mouse to draw your signature.
Another option is to upload a handwritten signature. You could choose to hand draw your signature, scan it and then upload it into jSign to be able to instantly add it to any documents in the future. If you know that you’ll be e-signing documents on a regular basis, simply save your signature preferences to make the process fast and easy the next time.
Saving Your Document
When you’re finished choosing and adding your signature, you’ll save your document. At this time, if you’re sending the document on to other people to gather their signatures, you have the option to set a due date by which time they must have signed.
Sending Your Document
Once you’ve selected a due date (if necessary) and saved your document, hit “Finish.” If you have selected other signatories, the document will automatically get sent to them. If not, it will be sent exclusively to your own email inbox.
From the jSign dashboard, you can track the progress of your document. You’ll get notifications when each individual adds their signature so that you can track your progress and anticipate any delays.
The Benefits of Signing Documents Online
Signing and sending documents online offers huge benefits. It allows you to access and sign online documents from anywhere, any time of the day, just as long as you have an internet connection. This means that you could sign important work contracts from your smartphone while on your mobile device. We don’t need to tell you this is a major time-saver.
Unlike using a feature built into your device, such as “Markup” on Apple devices, jSign offers a safer alternative. Documents are stored in the cloud rather than on a device. If your computer crashes, you could lose any signed documents that are simply stored in a folder. By using jSign, you’re able to simply access those files from a different device.
One of the biggest perks of signing documents online is being able to easily share them with others and track who has added their signature. With print documents, your only option is to track each person down to see if they had signed the document. The more people who need to sign a printed document, the more likely it is to get lost while being passed around. A digital signing service eliminates this issue. Everyone can sign at the same time, with no risk of the document getting lost, which helps to make the process more secure and faster than ever before.
Finding the Best Method to Sign Online Documents
Having the ability to sign documents online quickly and easily changes the way you do business and handle personal paperwork. No matter the circumstances, if you need to sign contracts on your commute or your children’s medical forms while away on vacation, you never have to worry about missing a deadline or delaying a project again. A digital signing service like jSign makes collaborating with others to get an important document signed simple and straightforward. The world of business has transitioned online and it’s about time that signing documents joined the new age.
