How to Sign & Certify PDF Documents

Add Security to Your PDF Files

One of the best things about the PDF file is that we can use it in so many ways. Upload it to be used online, add it to a CD or DVD to serve as a user's manual, email it, print it, the list just goes on. With all that flexibility, though, comes some security issues. How many people does it take to view your file before someone decides to copy-paste the contents and call it their own?

Not many.

In this guide, you'll learn how to sign and certify your PDF documents in a few painless steps. Signing and certifying adds additional security to your files - not just for your copyright protection, but for the end user who can see that what you intended to say hasn't been altered along the way to them.

Creating a Digital ID

Before you'll be able to sign or certify a PDF file, you'll need a digital ID. You can purchase one from an Adobe partner, but it costs a fair chunk of change and isn't necessary. It's easy to create one yourself - and you can create as many as you need to use. For example, you can create one ID with your legal name and one ID with your business name.

To create your Digital ID, follow these steps:

1. Open Acrobat. Click on "Advanced" in your toolbar, and choose "Security Settings".
2. From the left menu in the dialog that opens, click "Digital IDs". If you currently have no IDs, the frame that opens will be blank.
3. Click the "Add ID" icon above the IDs frame (See Illustration 01). In the dialog that opens, select "Create a Self-Signed Digital ID". Click Next ... and Next again. In the screen that appears, you will want to add your details to each of the fields. Then, click Next again. You'll have to give your digital ID a password (it can't contain quotation marks or the characters ! @ # $ % ^ & * , | \ ; < > _), then click Finish to close the dialog and call your Digital ID created.

You can close the Security Settings window now.

Signing a PDF