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Can you set digital signatures to default as an ink signature?

dwelch@ykfirepr...
Registered: Apr 10 2009
Posts: 20

For tablet pc applications, can you set the signature fields to default to "ink signatures" without having to add a digital signature over top?

Thx
Dave

My Product Information:
Acrobat Standard 9.3.1, Windows
smadwin
Expert
Registered: Jul 10 2009
Posts: 40
Hi Dave,

If you don't want to create a digital signature, then you don't want to add a signature field to the PDF file. When we're talking about creating a digital signature we are referring to a cryptographic process that uses a digital ID, and the digital ID contains a public/private key pair and is protected by a PIN or password.

In the PDF world, adding an image capture of a wet ink signature is not the same as a digital signature operation, but rather an annotation operation (annotations are the layer that exist above the PDF layer).

That said, you do have some options here. If you really don't want to deal with digital signatures then your best bet is to create a custom stamp based on your signature image and use that.

On the other hand, if you do want to use the cryptographically sound digital signature, you can create a custom signature appearance that uses an image of your wet ink signature, so here you are getting the best of both worlds.

Finally, there are third-party tools such as CIC or Interlink that have software for digitally signing a PDF file using a touch pad and stylus (like what you often see in a store when you use your credit card at the point-of-sale terminal).With their software they have you configure a profile with a digital ID, but still allow you to capture the signature from the touch pad.

I hope this helps,
Steve

Steven Madwin
Software QA Engineer
Adobe Systems Incorporated
345 Park Avenue, MS-W15
San Jose, CA 95110-2704 USA
408.536.4343 p, 408.537.4053 f
Steven [dot] Madwin [at] adobe [dot] com

dwelch@ykfirepr...
Registered: Apr 10 2009
Posts: 20
Sorry Steve, but no.

The signature field is for customer signatures and it wouldn't be effective / efficient to create a digital signature for each customer. Imagine this as the UPS or Puralator delivery guy asking you to sign for your package. One of the few reasons I would move from a spreadsheet based form to a pdf would be for signature capture.

Now I just modified a form to have a digital signature box next to a text box. I was able to apply an "Ink Signature" with my mouse in the text box, the add my own digital signature in the signature field.

Would this work on a tablet PC or would this largely depend on the particular tablet U.I say a digitizer pen vs touch sensitive screen?

Regards
Dave