Digital signature for documents: PDF reports signed without printing a page
Text becomes a PDF with your branding, signed with the signer's own certificate. Nothing is filled in by hand, and a person does the signing.
The problem
“Print it, sign it, scan it and send it to me.” People still work this way. The report is laid out by hand, printed to be signed, scanned crooked and sent as a PDF that is no longer a document: it is a photo. And the blanks for the date and the signature are filled in with a pen.
It happens in any company that delivers signed reports, proposals, minutes or annexes. The result cannot be searched or read by a screen reader, and nobody can check that it was not altered after signing.
How it is done today
Someone writes the document in a word processor and fights with the header, the footer and the page breaks. They export it, print it, sign it, scan it and rename it. If anything changes, the whole thing is repeated. If the client signs too, the paper travels twice.
And every document looks different depending on who made it.
How we solve it
- You write the content, or ask the agent to, as text with its headings, tables and lists. That text is the source: it is corrected there and kept with its history.
- The agent turns it into a PDF with your branding: cover, header with the logo, footer and page numbers, always the same.
- Before generating anything it checks that no blanks are left to fill in by hand. If it finds a dotted line or a pending value, it refuses and tells you where.
- Where something really has to be completed later, it adds an editable field in the PDF itself.
- It signs the document with the signer's digital certificate, with a timestamp. The signature shows in its place, with the name and the date.
- If someone else signs too, such as your client, it leaves their signature field ready: they can sign with their own certificate without invalidating yours.
Result
In our own company, reports and documents go from text to signed PDF without passing through the printer. None of them carries a blank filled in by hand.
What it takes
Timeline
Short. What has to be prepared is your template, with your logo, colours and typeface, and a check that each signer's certificate is on their computer. The exact timeline comes out of the assessment.
Data and access
Your visual identity. The digital certificate of each person who signs, installed on their own computer: it does not have to be handed to anyone. And the kinds of document you produce, so a starting structure can be prepared for each.
Your tools
The signer's computer, with its certificate store, and the place where you keep your documents. Whoever receives the PDF opens and signs it with a standard PDF reader.
How it is built
The content is written in Markdown. A converter turns it into HTML, a template applies the branding and a headless browser prints it to PDF. Page numbers are added afterwards.
The signature is PAdES with SHA-256 and a timestamp. The private key never leaves the system keychain: signing goes through a small program that the operating system allows, or not, at the person's request. Today it works with the macOS keychain.
Fields to complete are PDF form fields, and those for other signers are empty signature fields. Filling or signing them later does not invalidate the first signature; any other change does.
If signing is not possible, because the certificate is missing or permission is denied, no half-finished PDF is left behind. An unsigned internal draft has to be requested explicitly.
Frequently asked questions
Where is my digital certificate?
On your computer, in its certificate store. It is not copied or uploaded anywhere, and the agent cannot use it unless you allow it.
Can my client sign too?
Yes. The document carries a signature field prepared for them. They sign with their own certificate and your signature remains valid.
How is the signature checked?
By opening the PDF. The reader shows who signed, when, and whether the document has changed since it was signed.
What if something has to change after signing?
The source text is corrected and the document is generated and signed again. A digital signature stops being valid if the document changes, which is exactly what makes it useful.
What does Julditec do?
We implement the agent, adapt it to your company, train your team and maintain it. The day-to-day work is done by the agent; deciding and approving stays with your team.
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Part of Legal and compliance