There are five common ways to sign a PDF – from the printer to a qualified certificate. Here they all are, with an honest assessment of when each one is the right choice.
The classic route: print the PDF, sign with a pen, scan or photograph it. It always works, but it costs time, needs a printer, and produces skewed, hard-to-read scans. Note that legally this does not create a wet-ink original either – only the paper itself is one.
In a web or mobile app you draw your signature straight into the document – with your finger on the phone or a stylus on the tablet. This creates a simple electronic signature: sufficient for everyday contracts with no prescribed form, and done in two minutes.
That is how Tamgara works: form fields are asked one by one like a chat, the signature is drawn or inserted, and self-signed documents never leave your device. Free, no account.
If you want your familiar paper signature in the PDF, sign once on white paper, photograph it, and let the tool remove the background (Tamgara does this in the browser and can store the signature for reuse). Legally still a simple electronic signature – visually indistinguishable from paper.
Advanced and qualified signatures tie a certificate to your identity; for a QES an identity check (video identification, eID) is required first. Only the QES automatically replaces statutory written form in the EU.
You rarely need this – but when you do, you really do: statutory form requirements or a counterparty that demands it. QES are only available from audited trust service providers (EU trusted list), usually for a fee. Tamgara deliberately does not offer QES.
macOS Preview and the Adobe Reader apps can insert signatures. Fine for occasional self-signing at a desk – but there is no guided form filling, no audit trail and no sending documents to other signers.
| Method | Cost | Effort | Legal classification | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Print + scan | paper/printer | high | copy of a signature, no original | fallback without software |
| Draw on device | free (e.g. Tamgara) | very low | simple electronic signature | everyday contracts and forms |
| Insert paper signature | free (e.g. Tamgara) | low | simple electronic signature | anyone wanting their usual signature |
| AES/QES via trust provider | usually paid | medium (ID check) | QES replaces written form (EU) | statutory form, high-value deals |
| OS tools (Preview, Reader) | free | low | simple electronic signature | occasional self-signing at a desk |
Open the template and just start – a few minutes later you’ll have the finished, signed PDF.
Start filling it in – free