Digital Signature disappears!

I have created a fillable form with a digital signature field. When I save as>>reader extended pdf>>enable additional features the form works on my computer. I post the form as a link on our website as we have 100s of people who access this form and sign it digitally. The digital signature locks the form. There is an java script "check for blanks" button as all fields are required. This button is directly in front of the digital signature field. There is also a submit button built internally from within Adobe that allows the form to be submitted by email. It is set to NOT submit with blank fields. The issue is that the form worked beautifully for about 3 weeks. I had forms being submitted quickly and efficiently. Then suddenly yesterday the form stopped working. The digital signature field literally disappeared off the online website form. Everything else was in place and worked. Today I received an email from a student submitting his form. Then one from a student who had no digital signature field in her form. These came within minutes of each other! I don't understand why the digital signature field disappears! I need to understand this, have a solution, and fix it. We are trying to use this as an "enrollment" (lack of a better descriptor here!) for a requirement for students classes. This spring was our test of this form usage. In the fall we will literally have 500+ of these forms and I MUST be able to be confident that it will work continuously on the website! We have the students download Reader X so the digital signature will be supported. Like I said this is a random event. Help?
My system info. Windows XP professional; Acrobat x PRO; Acrobat Reader X
In the properties the protected mode is "On".

If the user is not using Adobe Reader, but some other PDF viewer that doesn't support digital signature fields, you will see this sort of thing. The Preview application on the Mac, with is the default PDF viewer out-of-the-box, is notorious for this (as well as corrupting PDF forms). Even if someone has Adobe Reader installed, it may not be what they're using to view your form. I imagine a good precentage of your users will be using Macs given your setting, so you'll have to address this through user education.
Also, you mentioned you will be receiving more than 500 returned forms. This would be a violation of the Acrobat License Agreement, which limits the number of returned forms that you can use to no more than 500 if you distribute an enabled document to more than 500 recipients. But there's a good chance that if you contact Adobe they will say it's OK regardless. Just try to get it in writing...

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Make printed digital signature disappear if document altered

We have created a document and digitally signed it. We have then altered the document. When the document is viewed on the screen the signature shows as invalid.
When the document is printed, however, the signature is the same.
Is there a way of either showing the state of the signature (valid / invalid), or making it disappear on a printed document?
Note, I did notice a similar question here, but the response was to a link that no longer works.
Thanks for your help.

Thanks for this - it would achieve the results, but implementing would be difficult.
I am trying to imagine the process that a user would have to go through. Digitally sign a document and then cut and paste a bunch of javascript into the document? It seems like a step that would be difficult to train people on, and hard to manage.
Is it be possible to make the check box for a valid signatures visible on print as well as screen? Maybe that is the best result. We want to allow printing and annotations, but we just want to prevent someone passing off an altered printed copy as true. Any solution that accomplishes this would be helpful.

Disappearing Digital Signatures

Our drafting group creates multi page sketches, each being a separate PDF file.
Each page (PDF) is inserted in to a single PDF file as a composite document.
Individual pages are revised occasionally and digitally signed off.
The old revision is extracted from the composite document and replaced with the revised page. (PDF)
When the new revision is inserted into the composite document, the digital signature on the revised page disappears.
How can I prevent the digital signature from disappearing?

You can maintain PDF Portfolio as a composite document.
When ever there is a new revision in any page , that specific PDF can be removed from portfolio and replaced with new revision
/Santosh/

I created buttons and added a digital signature, when I saved and reopened my buttons disappeared?

I created a multi page PDF with numerous buttons for navigation. I realized I had forgotten to sign one of the individual pages, (I had recently added) so I simply put in a digital signature. I saved the document and reopened it later to find it made all the buttons non functional and uneditable... Some of the buttons were transparent (placed over written dates for reference) and some were colored boxes with text. The colored buttons became "flattened" and I could no longer edit them or click on anything.
Why did this happen? Is the digital signature to blame? Is there a way to edit the existing buttons or do I need to recreate all of them along with the actions associated with each? any assistance would be much appreciated!

It's possible to set up a signature field to lock other fields when it is signed. Could that be what happened? It also possible to choose to lock the file when signed to prevent changes. It's hard to tell what happened without seeing the file.

Digital Signature Text is too big, how to make it take up less room?

I added a digital signature to a PDF and part of it is a real handwritten signature. The digital signature text was also added but it is taking up too much room on the signature line. I would like to make the real signature large and the text part of the digital signature smaller. I cannot seem to find oout how to make this happen. Is it possible? If so, can someone please supply the steps?

hi Axl....
I've got tiger in ok, running fine - bought family pack and have done 3 installs without problem, so that's the good news ....
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Digital signatures getting more difficult

I'm sure there are good reasons for the changes, but from my viewpoint digital signatures in Acrobat are becoming less convenient with each new version I try.
I make extensive use of invisible signatures, with a number of people required to invisibly sign each document. In Acrobat 5.05 it was a breeze, either using a menu option or the dropdown in the signatures panel (my preferred method). Deleting a signature field was equally convenient. Just right click the field and delete it.
In Acrobat 7, the menu and dropdown options disappeared and one has to go through a bunch of screens to get there. Not terrible, but less convenient. Also, documents created using Acrobat 5 or 7 could be signed using either version as long as the document was created using Acrobat 5 (PDF 1.4) compatibility. For deletion, signature fields must be cleared first, and only then can they be deleted. In both cases, creating invisble signatures and deleting signature fields, there are more steps in Acrobat 7 than in Acrobat 5.05. I can live with it, but it seems like reverse progress to me.
Now I am trying to help my boss use Acrobat 10 to invisibley sign documents created using Acrobat 7 and already invisibly signed by others using Acrobat 7 and Acrobat 5.05. If there's a way to do it, I can't find it. I suppose I could create a blank signature graphic, but that seems silly. Neither can I find any way to delete signature fields. I can clear them, but not delete them.
I'm guessing that the changes to digital signature functionality have something to do with making signed PDFs more secure and more difficult to tamper with, but I find it hard to believe that can't be accomplished without losing so much functionality.
I need to be able to have multiple invisible signatures and the capability to remove signature fields, and I need to be able to do it in Acrobat versions 5.05, 7, and X for documents created using any of those versions. If anyone knows how it can be done, please let me know.
Thanks.

What viewer are you using for showing the PDF?

Itunes wont install on vista, No digital signature

I had a problem were Itunes would not update or anything Apple related (quicktime etc) so i deleted Itunes and tried to run it as a fresh copy.
Yet when i download it and try to run the application i get the box from windows asking me if i want to run it, but in this box next to publisher it says unknown.
When i click run nothing happens. The box disappears and thats that.
If i click on the application and go into properties and go into digital signatures it says the digital signture is not valid. Ive tried downloading it with Explorer, Firefox incase that was it. I have even done a clean install of windows and tried to install itunes first incase there was a conflict.
Can anyone please help because its driving me nuts!

Mr. Peck-- Would like your advice re: where to post this question. I cannot update ITunes and Quicktime to the newest version using apple update in the windows environment. I have tried disabling antivirus software without help. Error is that it is not receiving a "valid signature." Installation on the mac side of updated quicktime and Itunes works fine. Windows version is XP SP3-- with appropriate updates.
Is there a solution that you know of? Where would you suggest posting this question?
Thank you,
Mark D

Use of digital signatures within a workflow

Hello all,
We attempt to build a workflow, where users will be digitally signing the forms being routed. However there are implications some implications with signing the documents.
Here is the use scenario
1. Initiator fills a form with datadigitally signs the formand then submits the form.
2. 1st participant reviews the signed formthen he also signs the form on a separate area
3. The signed (by initiator and participant) form is then archived. The data are extracted and stored to a third party system (e.g. a database)
What we have tried up to now
a. used Designer 7.0 to design a XFA form template incorporating some data entry fields and two signature fields.
b. embedded a binding schema and saved as .xdp
deployed the form to LC Form Manager
c. we RE the deployed form properties to allow for digital signatures in Reader
d. used Workflow Designer to create a simple workflow with two users (initiator to fill and sign the form, 1st participant to sign the form, 2nd participant for viewing the result)
3. set a Init-Form to use this particular template (the url points to our form)
4. set a Form-Var (the variable is of type document, the XFA schema is also displayed)
5. set data mappings (user properties) to use Form-Var as both input and output
Now, the sad story
i. initiator logins to FM, selects the form, fills some data, signs and submits the form
ii. 1st participant receives a working item in his worklist
iii. he opens the form, any data the initiator entered are there, BUT the digital signature field (where initiator previously signed) is EMPTY
iv. initiator navigates to his archive and sees the same (data but no signature)
Remark: whenever this form opens (1st participant worklist or initiator archive), the form takes up all the space within Internet Explorer, i.e. the FM left-side navigation and any other frames disappear
Any idea to workaround on this would be great. Thanks in advance for your help,
~Evangelos

Hi Evangelos,
Your issue is that you are submitting back an XDP format and not the PDF format. To resolve this issue, open your form and select the FSSUBMIT_ field from the heirarchy. Click on the Object palette and look at your Submit options. On that tab look at the Submit Format dropdown. You will want to choose PDF instead of XML Data Package (XDP). I have attached the working version of your form!!!
Basically you where reconstructing the PDF with the submitted data (the data does not have the signature in it) and hence the signature was being lost. The signature info is only part of the finished PDF.
NOTE: that the signatures will break from step to step (i.e. a yellow exclamation mark will appear) but Adobe are aware of this, and it will be fixed in the future.
regards
David.

Email and digital signatures

When I open a .pdf document from an email attachment, I am unable to digitally sign it. After I sign it, the signature just disappears.
Before the new IT people took over, I was able to open the document, select the digitable signature option, and Acrobat would tell me I needed to save the document. I saved it in the desired location and the digtigal signature would appear. How do I restore this process?
Thank you.

Maybe there is a separate email client app in the App Store that supports PGP or S/MIME (the built-in email doesn't).

Make the signature disappear after the modification of a certified document

Hallo,
I would like to certify a document to make the people who receive it aware that it is a unique and original document and to discourage people in modifing it.
I've tried using certificate function and, when I activate the certification, the document became protected from editing and my digital signature appears on it.
That's ok but, with one of the many programs used to unlock the protected .pdf documents, I was able to edit the document, my digital signature didn't disappear and the document seem to be original apart from the signature functions which aren't enabled anymore.
I would like a strong visual change on the document, like the disappearing of the signature or the appearing of a mark, in order to tell people:"If you see/don't see this mark the document could have been modified and you don't have to rely on it", is it possible?
I'm using Adobe Acrobat 8 Pro.
Thank you,
Alberto Bellini

Hi Chris,
Just to be clear, I'm only talking about what Acrobat does. To begin with, Acrobat will respect (enforce) the permissions that correspond to a Digital Signature (be it a Certifying or Regular signature). If somehow you do something to the file that is not allowed by the permission set, then the signsature will be rendered invalid.
The question I have is what application is making the change. When it comes to third party software (i.e. not made by Adobe) as long as it can open the file the user can do whatever they want. You can always open a PDF in a text editor and make a change. Whether or not the third party software processes the signature or obeys the permissions is a separate question.
Finally, back to your question. If you do make a change using third party software that is outside the scope of the signature, when you reopen the file in Acrobat (and when I say Acrobat I really mean both Acrobat and Reader, but I'm too lazy to type both) it will show up as invalid. If you made changes that are within the scope of the signature, then the signature would be valid with changes. It would be just as if you made an allowable change using Acrobat.
For example, if adding form data was an allowable change for a Certifying signature, and your ability to write in PDF is strong enough to add the data to the correct object using the third party software, and update the XREF table while keeping the signature byte range intact, when opening the file in Acrobat you would get a valid signature.
Steve

Email attachments and digital signature

I used to be able to open a email attachment, review it and then digitally sign it.
Since the new IT people came it, the digital signature simply disappears. Any way to restore this function? Thanks.

We experienced a similar problem when Adobe updates were installed. It seems that a recent Adobe update took away the capability to save your digital signature directly to the PDF email attachment, then forward the email with the signed attachment. Now, when we open a PDF email attachment and place a digital signature, as soon as we have entered our password for our digital signature, we are prompted with the "Save As" dialog box asking us to save the document somewhere on the hard drive of our computer (the default location is My Documents). If you hit Cancel, then the signed version does not get saved. The attachment remains unsigned. So we learned we needed to go through the Save As dialog and choose (and remember) a location to save the PDF, such as My Documents or Desktop, then reply or compose a new email and attach the signed version that we had just saved in Documents/Desktop. We used to be able to hit the Save icon in Adobe and save our changes (digital signature) to the email attachment. Having to save the PDF somewhere other than the email itself is an extra step we'd prefer to avoid, and we'd be happy to learn of a way to go back to our old method. I believe the key was that Adobe would save the signed version somewhere in the "temp files" on the C drive and automatically use that version when the email is forwarded. And I think Adobe did away with that, unless there is a way to revert to that method using Preferences?
But I wonder if the Asker of this question is able to click "Place Signature" and has an opportunity to "Save As," saving the PDF on the hard drive of the computer for future attaching? Are you hitting "Cancel" in the Save As dialog?
If you save the signed PDF (i.e. in the default My Documents), then a slightly quicker method than having to browse to the saved document in Documents is, you can click on the envelope icon (Sharing) at the top of the screen. Then click the "Attach to Email" circle and click the "Attach" button. This will generate a new email in your email application (i.e. Outlook) with the signed PDF attached (Adobe pulls the signed version that you previously saved to your Documents). The downside to this is that the generated email will not have the original email thread or subject line, so you will need to add a relevant subject line.
Some of our users reported that they used the Share ... Attach to Email feature and their signatures would get wiped from the email attachment after they hit send. However, this phenomenon has not been witnessed since the most recent Adobe software update.

Does any have problem viewing digital signature from PDF?

I have this problem, when viewing digitally signed PDF from iBooks app, all the signatures are gone.

I sign the pdf with a digital signature which includes a picture of my written signature. When I attach it to Apple mail or upload to mobileme, the signiture disappears. My clients see nothing. When I go back to the email in the sent box and open the pdf in the email there is no signature. When I open the original pdf the signature is there
This problem does not exist in outlook 2011, but would have liked to use mail as outlook does not support caldev
I don't know if I can explain it any better.

Signature disappear when i merge the documents

Hi everyone,
I have a problem, a big problem with adobe. When i merge some documents, all the electronic signature disappear. It's umbelivable because PDF Creator can do it.
So does anybody know why the electronic signature disappear.
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Any change to a PDF file (except adding a new signature) will invalidate an
existing signature, as it should be.
Imagine you sign a contract and then someone adds a bunch of new pages to
it, with clauses you haven't even read... You would probably not be so
happy if your signature was automatically applicable to those pages as
well, no? Fortunately, with digital signatures it automatically gets
removed when that happens.

Can't open PDF. Program does not have valid digital signature. No valid Acrobat S/N found.

I recently bought new HP computer with Windows 7. I loaded my Adobe Creative Suite 2 Premium. Illustrator tries to open then just disappears. I can not open PDF's. Get the following message: This program doesn't have valid digital signature that verifies it's signature. No valid Acrobat S/N found. Acrobat will now quit. Then: There is a problem with Adobe Acrobat/Reader. Please exit and try again. When I exit - computer locks up.

These can be frustrating.
Try restarting your PC.
Using a different browser.
There have been reports that this can be due to router problems.
A simple way round it is to get a friend to download the installer for your and put it on a USB stick.

Apple mail strips my digital signature from pdf attachments

I communicate with clients through email. I send reports which contain a picture of my signature and a digital hass. Apple mail strips the signature from the pdf files as I attach them.
An aside. I use mobile me and the idisk server. All documents located on the idisk are also stripped of the signature block.
This is not a problem if I use outlook, which I guess I have to switch back to again.
What does apple have against a digital signature

I sign the pdf with a digital signature which includes a picture of my written signature. When I attach it to Apple mail or upload to mobileme, the signiture disappears. My clients see nothing. When I go back to the email in the sent box and open the pdf in the email there is no signature. When I open the original pdf the signature is there
This problem does not exist in outlook 2011, but would have liked to use mail as outlook does not support caldev
I don't know if I can explain it any better.

Digital Signature disappears!

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