SOURCE_URL: https://majikah.solutions/products/majik-signature/docs/ms-how-to-sign-pdf --- title: "How to Sign a PDF" id: "ms-how-to-sign-pdf" group: "majik-signature" type: "products" version: "0.11.0" lastUpdated: "2026-09-04T00:00:00.000Z" difficulty: "Beginner" time: "15-20 minutes" tags: [pdf, pdf-signing, sign-pdf, document-signing, stamp-studio, signing-wizard, advanced-mode, signature-templates, chroma-key, repeat-across-pages, multi-signature, allowlist, sealing, trusted-timestamps, tsa, detached-signature, expiring-signature, ed25519, ml-dsa-87, post-quantum, notary] --- # How to Sign a PDF > Step-by-step guide to signing a PDF with Majik Signature — Stamp Studio (draw/import, chroma key, repeat across pages), TSA, detached and expiring signatures, multi-party allowlists, and sealing ## Overview A complete, step-by-step walkthrough of signing a PDF in Majik Signature — from dropping in your file to downloading a document that's both visually and cryptographically signed. Covers the guided Signing Wizard and its Stamp Studio (drawing or importing a signature, chroma key cleanup, repeating a stamp across pages, adding a name/position label), Advanced Mode, Trusted Timestamps, detached signatures, expiring signatures, multi-party signing with allowlists, and sealing. Written to work for someone signing their first PDF and for someone who wants to understand exactly what's happening under the hood. ### What This Guide Covers Signing a PDF in Majik Signature does two things at once: it places a visual signature stamp on the page (so anyone opening the file sees a familiar signature, the way they would on paper), and it embeds a hybrid Ed25519 + ML-DSA-87 cryptographic signature into the PDF's own metadata (so anyone can verify — offline, with just your public key — that the file is exactly what you signed and hasn't changed since). The two are connected but not the same thing: the visual stamp is what a person sees; the cryptographic signature is what verification actually checks. This guide walks through both, using the guided Signing Wizard, and then covers Advanced Mode for anyone who wants the same result without the step-by-step flow. > **NOTE:** You'll need a Majik Key account before you can sign anything — this is your cryptographic identity, not a Majikah account. If you haven't created one yet, the app will guide you through it the first time you try to sign, or you can set one up ahead of time from the Accounts tab. See the Getting Started guide for the full account setup walkthrough. ### Opening Majik Signature and Getting to the Sign Tab 1. **1. Open Majik Signature** *Web app or desktop app* - Open the web app at signature.majikah.solutions — for PDF signing specifically, you can also go directly to signature.majikah.solutions/sign - Or launch the installed Windows Desktop App from the Start menu 2. **2. Make Sure You Have a Majik Key Account** *Your cryptographic signing identity* - If you already have an account, it should be selected and ready to go - If not, follow the onboarding flow to quickly set one up — this takes under a minute and requires no email, phone number, or personal information 3. **3. Go to the Sign Tab** *Second tab in the navigation bar* - Click the Sign tab - Choose Wizard Mode for a guided, step-by-step flow (recommended if this is your first time), or Advanced Mode for full manual control in a single screen — see the comparison later in this guide ### Wizard Mode vs. Advanced Mode Both modes produce the exact same signed PDF — a full hybrid Ed25519 + ML-DSA-87 signature, plus whatever visual stamp you configure. The difference is purely how you get there. Wizard Mode walks you through the process one screen at a time — choose your file, set up your stamp, configure signing options, review and sign — and is the easier starting point if you're new to the app. Advanced Mode puts everything on one two-column screen with every option exposed and toggleable manually, without being walked through separate steps. The rest of this guide follows Wizard Mode step by step; the Advanced Mode section near the end covers what changes when you use that instead. ### Step 1 — Choose Your PDF 1. **Select the File** *Browse or drag-and-drop* - Browse from your folder or directory, or drag-and-drop the PDF directly onto the panel - You can select a specific file, or drop a folder — if you drop a folder instead of a single file, Majik Signature automatically switches you to Advanced Mode in batch processing, since the Wizard is built around signing one file at a time > **NOTE:** Once your PDF is loaded, a banner appears: "This file supports a signature stamp before signing." PDF is a Tier 1 format with native visual stamping support, so this banner shows up automatically. Click Add Signature Stamp to open the Stamp Studio — or skip it entirely if you only want the cryptographic signature with no visual mark on the page. ### The Stamp Studio The Stamp Studio is where you build the visual signature that gets placed on your PDF. It opens with a preview of your document and a side panel for creating and configuring your stamp. ### Previewing and Navigating Your PDF 1. **Browse and Zoom** *Get a feel for the document before stamping* - The Stamp Studio shows a live preview of your PDF — use the navigation controls to move between pages - Zoom in and out using the control buttons below the preview, or hold Alt and scroll with your mouse for quick zooming ### Creating Your Signature — Draw It or Import It Before you can place a stamp, you need a signature to place. Majik Signature gives you two ways to create one, both available in the side panel of the Stamp Studio. ### Option A — Import an Existing Signature, Logo, or Seal 1. **1. Drop Your Image** *Upload a photo, scan, or existing file* - Drop your image file into the dropbox on the right side panel - You'll see a live preview of how it looks once imported 2. **2. Remove the Background** *Chroma key cleanup* - By default, white backgrounds are automatically removed — useful for a photographed or scanned signature on paper - Control how aggressively background is removed using the threshold slider: move it toward 255 to turn chroma-key removal off entirely, or toward 0 to remove more aggressively - If your background isn't white, click Pick Color and choose any pixel on your screen to set a custom chroma key color 3. **3. Fine-Tune the Look** *Recolor, opacity, and contrast* - Apply a recolor/tint to override the image with a single consistent color, if you want the imported signature to match a specific color rather than whatever was in the original file - Adjust opacity and contrast using the control sliders in the panel - The live preview below updates as you adjust each setting ### Option B — Draw a Signature Directly 1. **1. Open the Draw Tab** *Switch to drawing mode in the side panel* - Press the Draw tab on the side panel to open the signature pad - Draw your signature using your mouse, trackpad, touchscreen, or a stylus 2. **2. Choose Your Stroke Color** *Per-stroke color control* - Change the color per stroke as you draw, using either the built-in template colors or a full color picker - Made a mistake? Undo a single stroke, or clear everything and start over in one click 3. **3. Fine-Tune the Look** *The same controls as the import path* - Adjust opacity and contrast using the same sliders available for imported signatures - Apply an overall recolor/tint if you want to override the final color of the entire drawn signature - A live preview below shows the result as you draw and adjust > **NOTE:** Save your signature for next time. After drawing or configuring a signature, look for Save as Signature to store it as a reusable Signature Template — found under the Identity tab → Signatures section. This means you don't need to redraw or re-import the same signature every time you sign a new document. It's useful to save more than one: a full formal signature for contracts, an initials-only version for page-by-page acknowledgment, or a name-and-role stamp for a role you sign in regularly. ### Placing Your Stamp on the Document 1. **1. Confirm the Signature** *Lock in what you drew or imported* - Once you're happy with your signature, press Use This Signature - This confirms the signature itself, but it isn't placed on the document yet 2. **2. Add It to the Document** *Create your first stamp instance* - Press Add Stamp to Document to place your first instance of the signature - Majik Signature allows multiple instances of the same signature, so you have full control over where and how many times it appears 3. **3. Position, Resize, and Rotate** *Place it exactly where you want it* - Once added, the stamp appears visually on the document - Transform, rotate, scale, and place it anywhere on the page using the on-canvas controls ### Repeat Across Pages — Signing a Multi-Page PDF Without Repeating Yourself If your PDF has more than one page, you don't need to place your signature manually on every page. Enable Repeat Across Pages on a stamp instance to apply that same signature, in the same position, across the pages you choose — every page, or a specific set of pages, using a simple range syntax. ### Page Range Syntax | Syntax | Meaning | | --- | --- | | (left blank) | Applies to every page | | 1-3,5,8 | Pages 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 | | 1,5-7,12 | Pages 1, 5, 6, 7, and 12 | *Caption: How to target specific pages when repeating a stamp* > **NOTE:** You can apply this range as either Include (only stamp the listed pages) or Exclude (stamp every page except the listed ones) — useful for something like a contract where you want your signature on every signature block and initialed annex, but not on the cover page. You can add multiple stamp instances of the same signature — each with its own position and its own Repeat Across Pages settings. This is useful when you need, say, a full signature on the final signature page and a smaller initials-only stamp repeated across every other page. ### Adding a Name and Position Label (Optional) 1. **Add Text Below Your Signature** *Make authorship obvious at a glance* - Optionally include your name and position as text below the signature stamp - Customize the font size and font color - You can also change the actual font — on desktop, Majik Signature can load any system font you have installed ### Confirming the Stamp 1. **Confirm and Stamp** *Lock in your visual stamp* - Once everything is positioned the way you want, click Confirm and Stamp - You can always come back and make changes later by pressing Edit Stamp — nothing here is final until you actually sign > **NOTE:** The stamp you've just built is a visual layer, not the cryptographic signature itself. It's what a person sees when they open the document. The actual proof of authenticity — the hybrid Ed25519 + ML-DSA-87 signature — is applied separately when you complete the signing process, and always covers the original document content regardless of how the stamp looks or where it's placed. ### Step 2 — Configure Signing From the main Sign panel, press Continue to move to the wizard's next step: configuring how the signature itself behaves. All of the following options are optional — skip anything you don't need for a plain, single-signer signature with a local timestamp. ### Configuration Options 1. **Trusted Timestamp (TSA)** *Independently verifiable proof of signing time* - Toggle this on to request a Trusted Timestamp instead of relying on a local, self-reported timestamp - You get 5 free Trusted Timestamps every 24 hours - You can top up with additional credits if needed (currently PHP only, via QR Ph — check the app for current accepted payment methods, as this may change) 2. **Detached Signing** *Keep the original PDF completely untouched* - By default, the signature is embedded directly into the PDF - Toggle Detached Signing on if you'd rather download and save a separate .mjksig Signature Envelope file instead — this leaves your original PDF completely unmodified, with the proof kept alongside it as its own file 3. **Expiring Signature** *Set a validity window* - Toggle this on if you want the signature on this file to only be considered valid until a certain date and time — useful for time-sensitive approvals, quotations, or licenses - Once enabled, pick the exact expiration date and time - Anyone verifying the file afterward will see whether the signature is still valid or has expired 4. **Expected Signers (Multi-Party Signing)** *Restrict and require multiple signatures* - Add expected signers from your contact list to restrict who is allowed to sign this PDF - This turns the file into a multi-signature document — once set, the file can only be sealed after every expected signer has actually signed ### Step 3 — Review and Sign 1. **1. Review Your Configuration** *Check everything before signing* - Once you're done configuring, review all the details on this step - Press Sign when you're ready 2. **2. Unlock Your Majik Key** *Authenticate to sign* - You'll be prompted to unlock your Majik Key account — with your passphrase, or with Credential Store (face, fingerprint, or PIN) on the Windows Desktop App if you've opted in - By default, you're asked to unlock every time you sign. If you'd rather unlock once and stay unlocked for the rest of your active session, go to Preferences and switch to Unlock Once instead of the default Unlock Per Operation 3. **3. Signing Completes** *Your file is signed* - After unlocking, Majik Signature signs your file - You'll see confirmation that it's been signed successfully — both visually (the stamp you configured) and cryptographically (the hybrid Ed25519 + ML-DSA-87 signature) ### Downloading and Sealing Once signing completes, you can download the file immediately — it already carries both your visual stamp and the underlying cryptographic signature. From here you have a choice about whether to seal it. ### Download or Seal 1. **Download As-Is** *Signed but still open to more signatures* - Download the signed file right away — it's fully signed and verifiable - This leaves the file open for further signatures if it's a multi-party document, or if you simply want the option to re-sign later 2. **Seal the Document (Optional)** *Finalize it permanently* - If this is a single-signer document with no expected signers, you can seal it right after signing - For a multi-party document with expected signers, sealing only becomes available once every expected signer has signed - Once sealed, download the sealed version instead of the unsealed one > **NOTE:** Once a document is sealed, a Notarize option becomes available in the results panel — this anchors the document's seal hash to a public blockchain (currently Solana) for an independent, tamper-evident timestamp, for a small per-file fee. It's optional and separate from sealing itself. See the dedicated Notarizing on Solana guide. ### Sealing Cannot Be Undone > ⚠️ **WARNING:** Sealing permanently locks the document against any further signatures — including from you, even if you were the one who signed first. There is no way to "unseal" a file afterward. Only seal a document once you're certain everyone who needs to sign has already signed. ### Advanced Mode — Same Result, No Wizard Steps Advanced Mode gives you everything covered above, but instead of being walked through it screen by screen, it's all available at once in a single, full-panel, two-column layout. You're not guided step by step — you can toggle and configure every property manually, in whatever order you prefer. The Stamp Studio, TSA toggle, Detached Signing, Expiring Signature, and Expected Signers are all accessible directly, without moving through separate wizard steps. The final signed PDF is identical either way — Advanced Mode is purely a difference in how you interact with the same underlying features, and it's the mode you're automatically switched to if you drop a folder instead of a single PDF. ### Wizard Mode vs. Advanced Mode | | Wizard Mode | Advanced Mode | | --- | --- | --- | | Flow | Guided, one step at a time | Everything on one screen, manual control | | Best for | First-time signers, simple single-file signing | Repeat users, full manual control, complex configurations | | Folder dropped instead of a file? | Automatically switches you to Advanced Mode (batch) | Native batch support | | Stamp Studio | Available | Available | | TSA, Detached Signing, Expiring Signature, Allowlists | Available | Available | | Resulting signature | Identical | Identical | *Caption: Choosing the right mode for how you like to work* ### Verifying a Signed PDF Anyone with your public keys — a known contact, or the self-reported keys embedded in the signature itself — can verify a PDF you've signed from the Verify tab, completely offline. Verification checks the visual stamp is irrelevant to this — it always checks the underlying Ed25519 + ML-DSA-87 signature against the original document bytes. If the PDF carries a revision chain — built up across multiple signing or re-stamping passes — the Verify tab offers a toggle to check every prior revision's bytes against its recorded signature, not just the latest version. See the dedicated Verifying Signatures guide for the full walkthrough, including how to interpret verdicts for multi-signer, sealed, and chain-verified documents. ### Quick Reference | Feature | Where to Find It | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | Import a signature image | Stamp Studio — side panel, import dropbox | Chroma key, recolor, opacity, contrast controls | | Draw a signature | Stamp Studio — side panel, Draw tab | Per-stroke color, undo, clear | | Save a signature for reuse | Save as Signature → Identity tab → Signatures | Signature Templates | | Add multiple stamp instances | Stamp Studio, after Add Stamp to Document | Each instance has its own position and repeat settings | | Repeat a stamp across pages | Stamp instance — Repeat Across Pages toggle | Include/Exclude with page range syntax (e.g. 1-3,5,8) | | Add name/position text | Stamp Studio, below the signature | Custom font, size, color; system fonts on desktop | | Request a Trusted Timestamp | Configure Signing step (Wizard) or main panel (Advanced) | 5 free every 24 hours | | Sign without embedding (.mjksig) | Configure Signing step — Detached Signing toggle | Leaves original PDF untouched | | Set an expiration date | Configure Signing step — Expiring Signature toggle | Verifiers see valid/expired status | | Restrict who can sign | Configure Signing step — Expected Signers | Creates a multi-signature allowlist | | Choose unlock behavior | Preferences | Unlock Once vs. Unlock Per Operation (default) | | Seal the document | After signing, in the result panel | Permanent; requires all expected signers first if multi-sig | | Notarize the document | After sealing, in the result panel | Optional; Solana anchor, small per-file fee — see Notarizing on Solana guide | *Caption: Where to find each PDF signing feature* > **NOTE:** For the underlying cryptography, see How Majik Signature Works. For signing formats other than PDF, see Signing Files and Text. For checking a signature someone else sent you, see Verifying Signatures. For anchoring a sealed PDF to a blockchain, see Notarizing on Solana.