As more and more data exists online, one of the biggest concerns for businesses and individuals alike is security. Security for private documents can come in a lot of forms. Depending on what type of data you have, there could be password encryption, secured files, and many other means to secure data or information. One of the most widely used types of documents used in offices and businesses is the PDF. PDF files are common because they can be used for many different things. But like programs, applications, and other types of online content, they must also be secured. You can secure them through password protection, but there are other ways that PDFs can be secured.
People often do online contracts in PDF form because they can be shared and altered easily using an online PDF editor such as Adobe Acrobat or Lumin PDF. If you are using a PDF editor to create a contract, you will still need to be able to have the contract signed and verified. This is one of the best things about using a PDF editor since they offer the ability to give a document a digital signature. This will not only formalize the document but also secure it since it will be a verified digital signature that is tied directly to you. The e-sign tool is a great asset for a PDF editor, but you can do more with a PDF editor when it comes to editing and improving a PDF.
Why Edit a Signed PDF
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When working with documents such as PDFs, there will be times when we need to edit or make some changes to the PDF file. This can be done easily and simply with an online PDF editor such as PDFelement or one of the many other online PDF editors. You can still edit a PDF if you are the signature of the PDF. If you are not the one who has signed the PDF with your signature, you will not be able to work on it for obvious reasons such as it could create some legal issues for the relevant party. However, if you need to work on a file that you have signed already, you can remove your signature and then begin to edit the PDF with one of the many PDF editing tools available.
About Signed PDFs
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Some of the times when you can use a signed PDF is when you are working on a contract, but this is not the only time when this might be beneficial. Anytime you are working on an official document such as a ledger or a business report, it might be a good idea to sign your name to it since it is in fact your work. Since you do not want someone else taking credit for your work, by using the e-sign tool, you will not only be securing your file but also your work and the time you gave to it.
How to Edit a Signed PDF
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If you are going to edit a signed PDF, there are some conditions mentioned above it is good to carefully consider. Firstly, you should only be able to work on a PDF that you have signed. Working on a PDF that someone else has signed is problematic, since it can change what the other person has signed, and this will have obvious legal ramifications so it is not possible. The good thing though is that even if you sign a file, it is not the end of the story as you can remove your signature temporarily and edit then simply use the e-sign tool again which will verify that you have signed the document in question.
How to Edit a Signed PDF with Google Docs
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If you do not have a PDF editor but still have a PDF with your own digital signature, you can still edit the document. While it would be a strange turn of events, perhaps the PDF editor that you used before had some issues and now you need to use another one temporarily, you can still do this but with some minor caveats. One issue is that when you use Google Docs to edit a signed PDF, there will be limitations as to what you can do with the PDF. You cannot use any of the major PDF editing tools such as the merge PDF or split PDF tools as well as alter the text of the PDF.
What About PDFs That Are Locked for Editing?
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If a PDF is locked for editing, it will be difficult to change, however, it will not be impossible. You can of course remove the signature if it is yours and unlock the PDF for editing, but if this is not the case your only real option is to recreate the PDF. You can copy the PDF and then create a new PDF using the content from the previously signed PDF to create a new PDF that can then be edited. The issue here though is that now the PDF is unsigned, and you must either sign it or return it to the person whose signature you need.
How to Edit a PDF with Multiple Signatures
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Editing a PDF with multiple signatures is a very similar process to the one above just with the obvious additional steps. When doing this though, be careful and make sure that the original signatures are aware of the edits and send the new document to them to sign. If you want to get the signatures of multiple people and are wondering what the best way is to share a document with multiple people, one of the best ways is to use a PDF editor such as Lumin PDF which allows you to share and work with documents directly from google Drive. This means that you can edit the document, save it to Google Drive and then have other people log in and then sign the document at their own convenience.