I love, love, love finding apps that are super useful. If you share my enthusiasm, you'll love this app recommendation!
Many of us receive PDF files that need a signature (or text added), then need to return it to the sender. Contracts and forms are the two most common types of files that fall into this category. In order to complete this, we would normally go through the following painful steps:
- sit down and log in to our computer
- open our email program to receive the file
- print the document
- sign the document with a pen
- scan the signed document back into the computer
- email the document
That's a lot of unnecessary work just to get a signature! I've got a great app that will reduce that process down to only two steps. It's called DocuSign, and as with most of my app recommendations, it's free!
DocuSign makes it super easy to open a PDF attachment, digitally sign it, then email it back to someone.
When you first launch DocuSign, it will ask you to create an account. The reason you want to do this is so that your settings and signatures are in sync across your devices (very handy when you have an iPhone and iPad), as well as to act like a backup to your settings.
Once you've created your account, it's time to set up your signature and initials. There are two ways to ingest your signature:
- by signing your device (using your finger or a stylus)
- by taking a picture of your signature
I prefer the method of taking a picture of my signature and initials because I prefer the look of my signature when I use pen on paper over that of signing an iPhone or iPad with my finger or stylus. The process looks something like this:
Once you've set up your signature and initials, it's time to use them! Find a PDF that someone has sent you to sign and return. If you don't have one handy, email one to yourself. Tap and hold on the PDF icon in Mail and choose to open the file in DocuSign. From there, you can sign your document and/or add additional text (date, name, etc). Once you're done, tap the Action button to email it back to the sender.
DocuSign is designed specifically for signing documents on the go, and it does a fantastic job!! It's definitely a great app to have on your device at all times in the event you need it. I use it typically 3 or 4 times a month, and it really does save me a lot of time and headache. It's just one more app that helps to bridge the gap between iOS and laptop.
