ETD Guide/Technical Issues/Encryption; Watermarking

Encryption and Digital Signature Overview: Using digital signatures

Digital signatures act like conventional signatures - allowing you to "sign off" on anything that requires an approval. You can simply attach your "signature" to the document. In addition, a signature stores information, like the date and time, and allows you to track document versions and validate their authenticity.

To create a digital signature profile:

1. Choose Tools > Self-Sign Signatures > Log In.
2. In the Acrobat Self-Sign Signatures - Log In dialog box, click New Profile.
3. In the User Attributes area of the Acrobat Self-Sign Signatures - Create New User dialog box, enter your name and whatever other information you want to include in the three optional fields.
4. In the Profile File area of the Acrobat Self-Sign Signatures - Create New User dialog box, enter the path name for the folder in which you want to store your signature profile or click Browse and choose a folder. Enter a password of at least six characters in the User Password and Confirm Password fields and then click OK.

To add a digital signature to a document:

1. Click on the Digital Signature tool in the Tool bar and then click and drag where you want to place your signature.
2. In the Acrobat Self-Sign Signatures- Sign Document dialog box you can select an option from the Reason for Signing Document pop-up menu or enter a reason in the field, and you can enter a location in the Location, e.g. City Name field. Note: If you're using a third-party signature handler, follow the instructions displayed on screen. You may be prompted to log in to the handler or enter required information.
3. Enter your password in the Confirm User Password field and then click Save Document.
4. If this is the first signature added to the document, the Save As dialog box is displayed. Enter a name and choose a location for the file and then click OK. Note: If the Save As dialog box is displayed when you add a digital signature, you end up with two copies of the document: one unsigned and one signed.
5. From this point on, you should use the signed version.
6. To display a list of a document's signatures, click the Signatures tab in the Navigation pane. The Signatures palette's pop-up menu contains several commands for working with digital signatures; the Properties command lets you see the attributes of a digital signature.

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