How to use Preview on a Mac to sign documents

24 March 2016

How to use Preview on a Mac to sign documents

If the day to day running of your business is anything like it is over at The Mac Mechanic then you probably have a sh*t tonne of emails with documents and forms you have to fill out. You can fill these out on the computer but you hit a snag at the signature page: “I don’t wanna print this out, sign it and scan it back in!” Well fear not because today we bring you a helpful little guide on how to easily sign documents using Preview. This feature will save you loads of time, letting you get back to business running your business.

This feature is available on Mac’s running El Capitan and Yosemite. It’s also available on Mavericks, Mountain Lion and Lion. The process is the same but the screenshots will look a little different.

1. Once you have your PDF document open in Preview, click on the Toolbox icon and then the Signature icon.

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2. This opens a pop up where you can draw your signature using the track pad or you can write your signature on a piece of paper and hold it up to the camera. We find this method easier as the trackpad can be a bit tricky to draw on with your finger. Click done.

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3. Your signature will now appear in this list. You can also use this to save more than one signature.

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4. Click on your signature and it will appear on the document. The signature can be scaled and resized as needed. A handy function for your business when you have a bunch of contracts, letters and application forms to sign.

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BONUS!

You can also use this as a quick and dirty way of getting little doodles or sketches into the computer if you don’t have a scanner handy.

Screen Shot 2016-03-24 at 2.33.06 pm

‘catz’ brainstorming sesh
 

For more information on getting the most out of Preview, check out these awesome guides: Part 1 covers converting file types, capturing frames from quicktime files and adjusting colour and image exposure, while Part 2 looks at the annotation tool bar, file size management and print proofing.

Happy signing!

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