Add a signature to a PDF free, from a photo of it

To add a signature to a PDF, photograph your signature on light paper: the tool removes the paper, its lines and shadows, trims the image to the ink and makes a transparent PNG, which you then place on the page of your PDF. The PDF keeps its text; your signature is processed in your browser and never uploaded.

You can download two documents free in total across all tools in this browser. New documents after that require paid access.

Add a signature to a PDF from a photo of it

The tool first turns a photo of your handwritten signature into a transparent PNG, then places that PNG on the page of your PDF. It does not draw or type a signature for you, and it is not an e-signing service.

1. Sign a sheet of light paper. Use a dark pen and sign the way you sign forms. Plain, ruled, squared or dotted paper all work, in white, cream or a pale colour; a page from a lined notebook is fine.
2. Photograph it or choose the photo. On a phone, Photograph your signature opens the rear camera; hold the phone close so the signature fills most of the picture. Anywhere, you can choose a JPG, PNG or HEIC photo or drop it on the page. Try it with an example opens a fictional sample signature first.
3. Frame the signature. The tool draws a frame around the signature it finds. Drag the frame or its corners to fit it closely: only what is inside becomes your signature. Retake starts again with a new photo.
4. Check the transparent PNG. The paper, its printed lines and the shadows on it become transparent, and the image is trimmed to your ink. Use Rotate if the photo was taken sideways, and choose Original, Black or Blue ink.
5. Place it on your PDF. Apply to a document opens your PDF, or a photo of a page, and puts the signature on it. Download PNG saves the signature alone, with a transparent background, ready for a word processor or an email signature.**

The PNG is not resized to a KB or pixel target. If a portal or form states a maximum file size, check the saved file against it.

Make a signature PNG with the background removed

To remove the background from a signature, the tool tells your ink from the paper by how much darker it is. The paper, its printed lines and the shadows on it become transparent, so only the strokes remain, with soft edges. The PNG opens on a checkerboard in the tool to show the transparency; in a document, the page shows through around the strokes.

• Light paper and dark ink. Ballpoint and gel pens in blue, black or another dark colour lift well; pencil and very light ink come out fainter.
• Even light, close up. Shadows and light falling off towards a corner are removed, but a dark shadow crossing a stroke can break it. Fill most of the picture with the signature.
• A clear space around it. A signature written over printed text keeps that text, because printed text is ink too. A printed signature line, ruled lines and grid lines are removed, but a stroke that runs along a thick line for some distance can lose that stretch.
• Limits. Photos up to 25 MB are accepted, and the photo is processed at up to 1,600 pixels along its longest side. A document to sign can be a PDF or a photo, also up to 25 MB.

Place your signature on a PDF or a photo of a document

Choose Apply to a document and pick a PDF or a photo of the page you need to sign. For a PDF with several pages, choose the page from the list. The signature appears in the lower right; drag it onto the signature line and drag its corner to make it larger or smaller. Its proportions stay the same. With a keyboard, focus the signature: the arrow keys move it (hold Shift for larger steps), plus and minus resize it, and Delete removes it. Then select Download signed document.

A PDF keeps its text: the signature is drawn over the page you chose, and the other pages stay exactly as they were. A photo of a document becomes a PDF on an A4 page or, if you choose, a JPG. A free signed copy carries a small credit line at its foot, on the last page of a PDF; exports with paid access omit it. The PNG of your signature never carries anything but your signature.

A lease from a letting agent, a bank account application and a form from your employer often ask for a signature on the same pages where you attach a copy of your Maltese ID card, eResidence card or passport. Sign the form here, and prepare the card copy with Photo to PDF, which can put the front and back on one A4 sheet, or label it for one recipient with Watermark PDF. To send the signed form and the ID copy as one attachment, use Merge PDF; if the file is too large for an upload, use Reduce PDF.

A signature image is not an electronic signature

A picture of your handwritten signature shows that a document was signed, but it does not prove who placed it there and it does not certify the document. Some Maltese services ask you to sign in with your eID or to sign through their own portal. That is a different thing from this page: a signature image is not an eID signature and not an electronic signature of any kind. If the recipient names a route, use it, and ask whether a signed copy with a signature image is accepted.

A PDF that already carries a certificate-based digital signature loses that signature's validation when anything is added to it; keep the signed original. A PDF that needs a password to open, or one that is encrypted to restrict editing, cannot be signed here. The tool does not edit Word documents either: save the PNG and insert it into Word as a picture.

Your signature stays on your device

Your browser reads the photo you choose and lifts the signature on your own device; the PDF or photo you sign is processed the same way. Nothing is uploaded to a server, and there is no account. A signature image is easy to copy, which is a good reason not to hand it to an online background remover.

You can check it yourself: once the page has loaded, wait a few seconds, turn on airplane mode or switch off Wi-Fi and mobile data, and lift your signature or sign a document. It still works. An internet connection is needed only to activate or verify paid access.

Common questions