How to sign a PDF without printing or scanning

Updated guide · August 2026 · 3 min read

Printing, signing by hand, scanning and emailing back is still, surprisingly, how many people sign documents. It is slow, wastes paper, requires a printer and scanner, and usually produces a heavy, crooked file. None of that is necessary today.

What you need

Just two things: the document as a PDF (or a photo of it) and any device with a browser. A computer, tablet or phone all work. No account, no apps.

Steps to sign a PDF without printing

1. Open an online signing tool. For example iSignYourDocuments, which is free and requires no registration.
2. Choose "Sign it myself" and upload your PDF. You can upload several documents at once.
3. Create your signature. Four ways: draw it with the mouse or your finger, upload a photo of your handwritten signature, type your name in a handwriting font, or generate a stamp with your ID number.
4. Place it on the document. Click the exact spot where the signature goes and drag it to adjust.
5. Download the signed PDF. The signature is embedded in the file, ready to send by email or WhatsApp.

How to make the signature look natural

Drawing with a mouse tends to look shaky. Three things that work:

• Sign from a phone or tablet using your finger: it looks far closer to your real signature.
• Sign on blank paper, photograph it and upload it as an image. This gives the best result.
• Sign larger than usual in the box; once scaled down on the document, wobbles disappear.

What if someone else has to sign it?

Then you do not need to email it and hope they know how. You can mark the spots where they must sign and generate a link: they open it on their phone, see exactly where to sign and return it signed in two taps. We explain it in how to send a document to be signed.

Frequently asked questions