Adobe 22020737 Acrobat X Pro Manual - Page 263

USING ACROBAT X PRO 257 Digital signatures Signature types A document can contain certification signatures, approval signatures, or both. The signature type you need depends on the intent of both the author and the signer. Signature types include the following: Certification signature A certification signature provides a higher level of document control than an approval signature. Because it must be the first signature in a document, certification menu options are disabled if another signature is already present. In addition, you can control the types of changes other people may make. Approval signature An Approval signature is a digital signature applied to a document that is not a certification signature. All signatures other than certification signatures are classified as Approval signatures. Both certification and approval signatures comply with data protection standards specified by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). In addition, both signature types comply with the PDF Advanced Electronic Signature (PAdES) standard. Acrobat and Reader provide an option to change the default signing format to a CAdES format. To view this option, go to Edit > Preferences > Security > Advanced Preferences > Creation, and expand Default Signature Signing Format list. This option is compliant with Part 3 of the PAdES standard. The timestamp capability and native support for long-term validation of signatures (introduced in Acrobat 9.1) is in compliance with Part 4 of the PAdES standard. The default signing format, when set up accordingly, is compliant with Part 2 of the PAdES standard. Sign a PDF You can sign a PDF to indicate your approval using either a digital signature or ink signature. Digital signatures can be used to sign a PDF multiple times and by different persons. When you sign a document, your digital signature appears in the signature field. The appearance of the signature depends on options you choose. The actual information for your digital signature is embedded in the PDF. In Acrobat, the first person to sign a document can add a certifying signature to restrict changes to the document. Note: To allow Reader users to sign documents using either type of signature, choose File > Save As > Reader Extended PDF in Acrobat. Then, choose an option from the list. Sign a PDF-Quick steps Signing is essentially a straightforward process. It can be complicated by special requirements, such as creating different signatures for different roles and adding timestamps. But to create an uncomplicated signature, follow these steps. 1 Complete your edits before you sign. Changes made to the document after it is signed can invalidate the signature. 2 Get a digital ID from your own organization, buy a digital ID (see the Adobe website for security partners), or create a self-signed one. See "Create a self-signed digital ID" on page 239. You can't sign a PDF without a digital id. 3 Drag your pointer to create a space for the signature. 4 Follow the onscreen prompts to finish signing the PDF. Sign with a new digital ID 1 Open the PDF and choose Tools > Sign & Certify > Sign Document. If you don't see the Sign & Certify panel, see the instructions for adding panels at "Task panes" on page 9. 2 If a dialog box appears, read the information and then click OK. 3 Drag your pointer to create a space for the signature. 4 Select A New Digital ID I Want To Create Now from the Add Digital ID dialog box. Last updated 10/11/2011