How to sign a PDF
Open your document
Drag the PDF onto the editor, or click Open PDF.
Go to the signature page
Click the page thumbnail in the sidebar, or use the arrows at the bottom to navigate to the page you need to sign.
Pick the Draw tool
Click Draw in the toolbar. Choose a colour — dark blue or black reads as a real signature — and a stroke width.
Draw your signature
Draw directly on the page. On a phone or tablet you can use your finger, which usually produces a more natural signature than a mouse.
Apply and download
Click Apply strokes to bake the signature into the page, then Download PDF. If you're not happy with it, Ctrl/Cmd + Z undoes it.
Why signing in your browser matters more than usual
A document you're about to sign is, almost by definition, one that matters — a lease, an employment contract, a consent form, a financial agreement. It usually carries your full name, address, and often more.
Most free signing tools upload that document to their servers, and many require an account first, which links the file to your email address. Plate does neither. There's no account, and the document is never transmitted — the signature is drawn and merged into the page by code running inside your browser tab.
Getting a signature that looks right
- Use a finger on a touchscreen if you can. Phone or tablet signatures look considerably more natural than mouse-drawn ones. Plate's editor supports touch drawing.
- Zoom in first. Use the + control at the bottom to zoom to 150–200% before drawing. You get finer control, and the signature scales down cleanly.
- Pick a sensible width. A stroke width of 3 suits most signatures; go thinner for small signature boxes.
- Dark blue reads as genuine. Traditional ink colours look more like a real signature than pure black on a printed form.
- Not happy? Undo. Ctrl/Cmd + Z reverses it, or click Clear before applying to start the stroke again.
An honest note on legal weight. Plate draws a visual signature onto the page. It does not create a cryptographic digital signature, and it doesn't produce an audit trail or certificate of signing. For everyday documents — forms, letters, internal approvals — a drawn signature is normally what's being asked for. But if a contract specifically requires a certified or digital signature, or you need verifiable proof of who signed and when, use a dedicated e-signature service instead. This isn't legal advice, and requirements vary by country and by document.
Adding your name or the date as text
Many forms want a printed name and date alongside the signature. Use the Add text tool for those — click where you want it and type. Plate matches the style of nearby text automatically, so it sits naturally on the form rather than looking pasted on.
Common questions
Is signing a PDF free?
Yes — no account, no watermark, no page limit and no paid tier.
Do I have to upload the document?
No. The signature is drawn and merged into the page inside your browser, so the document is never transmitted anywhere.
Can I sign on my phone?
Yes. The editor supports touch, and a finger-drawn signature usually looks more natural than one drawn with a mouse.
Is this a legally binding signature?
Plate creates a visual signature, not a cryptographic digital signature or an audit trail. That's normally sufficient for everyday forms, but if a document specifically requires a certified digital signature, use a dedicated e-signature service. Requirements vary by country and document type.
Can I undo a signature I don't like?
Yes. Use Clear before applying, or Ctrl/Cmd + Z afterwards — undo goes back up to 25 steps.