Setting up a digital signature in Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat
A digital signature is an electronic version of a hand written signature. In order to be able to
electronically sign documents, you must first set up a digital ID. Once you complete the digital ID set upprocess, you are ready to begin signing documents electronically. The exact language used varies
slightly for each Adobe version, but the basic set up process is as follows:
1. There are two ways to begin the digital ID set-up process:
A. If you have a document that you want to sign, click in the appropriate signature field, thenproceed to step 3 (click yes or ok, if prompted prior to reaching step 3)
B. If you want to set up a digital signature independent of a specific document:
Choose Document > Security Settings (Choose Advanced > Security Settings for earlier
Adobe versions)
2. Select Digital IDs on the left and then click the Add ID button
3. Select Create a new Digital ID (exact wording varies for each Adobe version, could say “Create A
Self-Signed Digital ID for use with Acrobat” or “A New Digital Signature I Want To Create Now”),
and click Next
4. Specify Where to store the digital ID – Select New PKCS#12 (PKCS#12 is more secure since it
requires you to enter your password each time you digitally sign a document), and click Next
5. Type your personal information (name, organization unit, organization name and email address)
- leave the settings as they are, leave the Enable Unicode Support box blank, and click Next
6. Enter a file location and password for your new ID file – either use the default file location or
enter a different location if you prefer, create and enter password into both password fields,
then click Finish
