How do I get the actual signature to show in a document using XI?

Question

Been using Adobe for years and with the new update to XI I am having a heck of a time getting the signature to show in the document.  To check this I opened another document and was easily able to grab my signature and place it where I want.
For some reason the document I was sent allow for me to sign electronically, but when I choose to do so, I'm asked first to draw a box to where the signature is to be placed, then another dialog box opens asking for the file.  I was not able to find a place to add a new signature by using the methods used previously.  I have a signature in a file and has been used many times for other .pdf docs with zero issues.
Not sure why this doc is giving me issues.  The document sent to me is showing its from Adobe 7.x! Not sure if that is the issue, as it could be the problem placing the signature.
Please advise to try and get this resolved.

Answer 1

Hi,
I assume when you say "another pop up" you really mean that your seeing this dialog...
Let's start with some nomenclature so we are on the same page. What you are trying to do is create a "digital signature" and in order to do that you need a "digital ID". To think of this in physical world terms, the PDF file is a piece of paper, the digital ID is the pen and the digital signature is, well the signature. In order to create a digital signature you must have something to sign with, and that something is a public-key based digital ID. This digital ID can reside in several places. It can be in a password protected file and the file would have either P12 or PFX as the file extension to the file name. The digital ID could be locked onto a token or smart card, in which case you would get access to it using a PIN instead of a password. It could also be locked into the Operating System. On Windows that would be the Windows Certificate Store (think of "store" in this case as storage, not a market place), and on the Mac it would be the Keychain Access application.
So the question is, do you currently have a valid digital ID (they do expire) or do you need to procure one? My guess is you need to procure a new digital ID and this is where you are being tripped up.
If you do need to procure a new digital ID, the next question is, do you need to get a high assurance digital ID from a trusted 3rd-party Certificate Authority (you, as the signature creator are the 1st party, and whomever you send the signed PDF file to is both the signature recipient, and also the 2nd party). The thing that makes a Certificate Authority (CA) trusted is because they will do identity vetting in order to ensure that you are who you say you are before they issue you a digital ID. When you get a digital ID from a CA you can think of it as a drivers license or password, not for what they allow you to do (drive a car or cross a border), but rather as a trusted and generally accepted piece of identification. Yes, a digital ID issued to you from a CA allows you to sign data just like a pen, but more importantly it acts as a trusted piece of identification. All that said, if you don't need a high assurance digital ID that proves you are who you say you are, then you can create your own digital ID. In that case the digital ID is really just a pen for signing and does not provide any trust regarding your identity. The advantage to creating your own digital ID is it's quick, easy, and free. The downside to getting a digital ID from a CA is it is time consuming and not free.
Since your have started down the path of creating your own digital ID already let's finish with that workflow and leave it for later to see if that meets the identity requirements of whomever you are sharing the signed file with. If you are seeing the dialog above select the bottom radio button next to "A new digital ID I want to create now", and then click the Next button. The contents of the next dialog you see is as dependent on whether you are on Mac or Windows. On Windows the next dialog asks you where you want to save the digital ID, either in a password protected file, or in the Windows Certificate Store. If you select the File option you will be asked to provide the password every time you sign a PDF file, whereas with the Windows option when you log into Window that provides the authentication to access the private key in the digital ID and thus when you sign a PDF file you won't be asked to provide a password. If you are on a Mac since saving the digital to a file is the only possible option this dialog is skipped. The next dialog is where you enter the information that you want contained in the digital ID that identifies you as the signer. If you've already filled out the Identity panel on the Preferences dialog then that data will be pulled in, but if not you you are going to need to add at a minimum a Name and an Email address, and then click the Next button. If you are saving the digital ID in a file, the next order of business is to pick a location where you want to save the file you are about to create and assign it a password to protect the private key from unauthorized access.  You're now on the last dialog for digital ID creation so you can click the Finish button.
This takes you to the Sign dialog. If you already had a valid digital ID to sign with you would have seen this dialog right after you inscribed the signature field and would have shipped all of the digital ID creation dialogs. If you saved your new digital ID in a file the Sign dialog will ask you to provide the password you just used (don't forget this password because you'll need it when you want to sign files at some later date). Enter the password and click the sign button. You'll be asked where you want to save the signed file (you can overwrite the existing file if you like, or you can save it as a new file), and once you've done that you'll have a digitally signed PDF file.
Steve