Signature file locking from editing

[mykovasyl]

Hi! I'm on Windows 11 Business running Editor Plus. I frequently have documents with signatures that I add to PDF files and afterwards need to continue processing a request by adding screenshots of a transaction into it. Just now I saved a file with a signature document, and it's now preventing me from adding any additional screenshots of the transaction I'm processing. How can I permanently disable the program from locking a PDF if a signature page is added to it? The signature is not my own; it's a client's. They're signing off on the transaction. I'm also not the only person who will add additional screenshots after I do mine.

[Paul - PDF-XChange]

Hi, mykovasyl

when digitally signing a document there are three options available:

image.png

If you use the third option, to allow commenting, you should be able to paste your screenshots as comments after it is signed.

Does that help?

[mykovasyl]

Hey Paul,

The issue is that our clients don't use PDF Xchange; there are hundreds who we get signatures from daily, so they could be on Adobe or other programs. We'll typically send a file for their signature through regular email; they'll sign it and send it back to us, and then we drag and drop that file into our PDF and pass it along to the next person for processing. The file cannot lock up after we add that signature page because 3 more people need to be able to add screenshots to it. We really need to disable this signature verification or find a workaround for it; we weren't aware that this was a feature in the program when we bought the licenses.

We recently left Adobe and tried PDF Gear and Foxit, but neither had the speed of processing we needed. Now this issue is causing problems for everyone upstream, and it would be a shame to have to yet again put a pause on our processing at the expense of clients to find another program to use.

Thanks for your help!

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, mykovasyl

Both Acrobat and Foxt offer the same options we do (I have never heard of PDF Gear, but it likely is the saem).
These presets are defined by the PDF Specification, and so all properly written PDF software must offer the same options we do, and they will all respect those settings for any file they open as well.

Any software which does not adhere to the specification may struggle with signatures, or damage the file by completing this process improperly..

If you need a signed file to allow commenting or form filling, you will need to inform the signer to configure their software as such, there is no way for us to enforce that, and we cannot disrespect the security that was put in place. I am sorry.

Kind regards,

[mykovasyl]

Hi Dan,

Thanks for answering back regarding this. I guess we will try to figure out a workaround for this. When we would do the same procedure with Adobe, it would still allow additional screenshots to be placed inside the PDF file even when signature pages were added to it. Obviously the signature was not subject to modification, but the rest of the file was still able to be edited at will.

Thanks!

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, mykovasyl

I would be quite curious to know how Adobe does this differently exactly. As Paul noted, if the placed signature is placed with the proper permissions, adding images to the file as comments would be entirely possible - but that permission is based on the signing users local preferences at the time they place their signature... It is not something document or application specific - but a core part of the PDF format as a whole.

Kind regards,