Make a signature image by photographing your signature on light paper: the tool removes the paper, its lines and shadows, trims the image to the ink and gives you a transparent PNG. Download it, or place it on a PDF or a photo of a document; 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.
Make a signature image from a photo
- Sign a sheet of light paper. Use a dark pen and sign the way you sign forms. Plain, lined, grid or dotted paper all work, in white, cream or a pale colour.
- 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.
- Check the transparent PNG. The tool removes the paper, its printed lines and the shadows falling on it, and trims the image to your ink. Use Rotate if the photo was taken sideways, and choose Original, Black or Blue ink.
- Download the PNG or apply it to a document. Download PNG saves the signature alone, with a transparent background, ready for a word processor, a PDF editor or an email signature. Apply to a document places it on a page for you.
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.
Lease applications, school forms and consent letters often ask for a signature on the same pages where you attach a copy of your license, state ID or passport. Sign the form here, and prepare the ID copy with ID to PDF or label it for one recipient with Watermark. To put the signed form and the ID copy in one attachment, use Combine PDFs.
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. When a bank, an employer or a government site asks for an e-signature, a certificate-based digital signature or a signature inside its own portal, use the method it names. Ask the recipient 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. On an iPhone, Apple's Markup can also sign a PDF directly: see how to sign a PDF on iPhone.
Get a clean signature image
- Light paper and dark ink. The tool tells the ink from the paper by how much darker it is. 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.
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 editor.
You can check it yourself: once the page has loaded, wait a few seconds, turn on airplane mode or switch off Wi-Fi, 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
How do I make a signature image for free?
Sign a sheet of light paper, photograph it with your phone or choose the photo on a computer, and the tool turns it into a transparent PNG trimmed to your signature. Download PNG saves it. No account is needed and the photo is not uploaded.
How do I get a signature PNG with a transparent background?
The paper, its lines and its shadows become transparent and only your ink stays, with soft edges. The PNG opens on a checkerboard here to show the transparency; in a document, the page shows through around the strokes. Choose Black or Blue if you want an even ink colour.
Can I add my signature to a PDF?
Yes. Choose Apply to a document, pick the PDF and the page, place the signature on the line and download the signed PDF. Its text stays selectable. PDFs that need a password, or that are encrypted, are not accepted.
Does it remove the lines of lined or grid paper?
Yes. Straight printed lines, a grid, a margin line and a printed signature line are found and removed, even when the photo is slightly tilted, while the strokes that cross them stay.
Is a signature image a legal signature?
It is a picture of your handwritten signature. Whether a signed copy with it is accepted depends on the recipient. It is not an electronic or certificate-based digital signature; use the method the recipient names when it asks for one of those.
Is my signature uploaded or stored?
No. The photo of your signature and the document you sign are processed in your browser on your device. Nothing is sent to a server.
