How to Sign a PDF Online Without Printing (Free)
Gizke Team · Published · Reading time: 3 minutes
You can sign a PDF without printing it: open the Sign PDF tool, choose your file, draw your signature with a mouse, finger or pen (or upload a photo of it), place it on the page and download the signed PDF. It is free, needs no account, and the file is processed in your browser, so your PDF and signature never leave your device.
On this page
How to sign a PDF step by step
- Open the file. Go to Sign PDF and drop your PDF onto the page or click to choose it. If the PDF is password-protected, remove the password first.
- Create your signature. On the Draw tab, sign with a mouse, a finger on a touchscreen or a stylus. Or choose Upload photo: sign on white paper, take a photo, and the white background is removed for you.
- Place it. Drag the signature to the right spot and resize it with the round corner. You can rotate it, too.
- Add text if needed. Type your name or initials, and add today's date with one click.
- Initial every page. Select your initials and choose Put on every page to copy them to the same position on each page.
- Download. Click Download signed PDF. The original content is not re-rendered, so text stays selectable.
The typed-text font supports Latin, Greek and Cyrillic letters. If your name is in another script, draw it as part of your signature.
Signing on a phone
The tool works in mobile browsers, so you do not need an app. Open gizke.com/sign-pdf, choose the PDF from your files, draw with your finger and download the result. If you received the document on paper, turn it into a PDF first with the document scanner.
Is an electronic signature legally valid?
A signature drawn or pasted onto a PDF is what the law usually calls a simple electronic signature. It is different from a digital signature that uses a certificate to prove who signed and that the file has not changed since.
- European Union. Under the eIDAS Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 910/2014), Article 25: an electronic signature cannot be denied legal effect or be refused as evidence in court just because it is electronic or does not meet the requirements for a qualified signature. Only a qualified electronic signature automatically has the same legal effect as a handwritten one.
- Türkiye. Under the Electronic Signature Law No. 5070, Article 5, a secure electronic signature has the same legal effect as a handwritten one. It cannot be used for legal transactions that the law requires to be in an official form or follow special formalities, nor for security (guarantee) contracts, except bank letters of guarantee and insurers' surety bonds.
- Other countries have their own rules. Check what the recipient accepts.
In practice, a drawn signature is commonly used for everyday paperwork such as forms, letters and agreements between people who trust each other. When a law, a court, a public authority or the other party asks for a qualified or certificate-based signature, use a certified e-signature provider instead. This article is general information, not legal advice.
Keeping your signed PDF safe
- Share it carefully. A drawn signature is an image on the page; anyone who has the file can copy it or edit the document with PDF software.
- Add a password. Protect PDF locks the file with a password and lets you choose whether it can be printed, copied or edited.
- Combine documents first. If you need to sign several files, merge them into one PDF and sign once, using Put on every page for initials.