Bye-Bye Scanner: Digitally Signing Documents with Apple Preview

At The Whole Brain Group, we’re constantly trying to reduce the amount of paper we use, so signing documents has always been a source of irritation for me. When we send contracts out, I have a digital signature I embed in the document, but when I have to sign a document I didn’t produce, the steps are time consuming and paper-wasting:

• Print the signature page
• Sign it
• Scan it
• Email it back

Not overly complicated, but annoying – and I have to be at my desk in the office to complete these steps.

A more elegant solution for signing documents digitally

Luckily, the most recent version of Apple’s Preview program offers an elegant solution: you can use your computer’s built-in camera to “scan” your signature on a blank piece of paper, and then insert it into any PDF file.

Step 3 - Click on the Signature Tool

• Step 1: Open the document you want to sign using Preview (convert it to PDF if it originally arrived in another format).
• Step 2: Go to the VIEW menu and show the Annotations toolbar (shift-Command-A)
• Step 3: Click on the Signature Tool icon
• Step 4: Choose “Create Signature from FaceTime Camera”
• Step 5: Follow the on-screen instructions guiding you through signing a blank piece of paper, holding it in front of the camera, and capturing it electronically.
• 

  Step 5: Take a picture of your signature

  Step 6: Go back to the Signature icon on the tool bar, and select your signature from the list.

• Step 7: Move your cursor to the area of the screen where you want to insert your signature, then double-click to insert it. Drag it around and resize it to position it correctly.
• 

  Step 7: Place your signature in your PDF document

  Step 8: Save the file and email it!

Since your signature is saved in Preview, the next time you have a document to sign, you only have to follow Steps 6-8!

Armed with only my MacBook, I can now sign documents and keep new business deals moving even when I’m on the road!