"Signing" a document indicates that you have read and approved it. Digital
Signatures can be applied both to "New" PDF files that you are creating now as
well as to existing PDF files that were created at some other time (even using other PDF
creation products).
You can also Digitally Sign a previously created PDF
document.
A Digital Signature will ensure that any changes you make to the document, after it was
signed, can be identified.
A Digital Signature (in certain cases) will also allow you to "roll
back" and recover the original version of the document that you signed. Another
useful feature of a digitally signed document is the ability to verify that the signature
is authentic. The verification process uses a specific type of Digital Id user
certificate.
You can create different identities (digital signatures) for yourself if you handle
documents in more than one capacity.
A digital signature, much the same as a conventional handwritten signature, identifies
a person or entity signing the document. While traditional signatures are on paper, every
digital signature stores information that will identify the person signing. There can also
be information about changes made to a digitally signed document since the first signature
was applied.
A digital signature can include many different formats - a name, a logo or other
graphic, or simply some text that will tell you the purpose of the signing a given
document. This is done through a Certificate Authority - usually referred to as
"CA".
Digital signatures can also be invisible. The appearance of a digital signature is just
the way it appears on the document and is not the actual electronic signature information
which will be based on a Digital
Certificate.
Signing existing PDF documents using PentaPDF-PRO requires:
Acrobat Reader - Version 9.0 (preferred)
Use this version if you want to use AES 256 encryption.
Although Acrobat Reader Version 9.0 is the preferred version of Acrobat Reader that we
recommend, please be advised that any version of Acrobat prior to version 8.0 may not
correctly visualize documents produced using the standards of version 8 or subsequent.
Below are other versions of Acrobat Readers that are conducive to Digital Signatures:
Acrobat Reader - Version 9.0
You will have zooming, scrolling and other toolbar based features available.
Acrobat Reader - Version 8.0
You will have zooming, scrolling and other toolbar based features available.
Acrobat Reader - Version 7.0
You will have zooming, scrolling and other toolbar based features available.
Acrobat Reader - Version 6.0
You will NOT have zooming, scrolling and other toolbar based features available.
Acrobat Reader - Version 5.0
You will NOT have zooming, scrolling and other toolbar based features available.
