What is a wet signature?

A signature made with a pen on a physical page, as opposed to one made on a screen.

Can I mix the two on one deal?

Many teams do: the main agreement goes out electronically while a document that needs an original follows by post.

Who decides if a document needs paper?

Your adviser, or the organisation asking for the document. SignAndGo does not make that call.

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Electronic or paper: which way should you sign?

Ink on paper, often called a wet signature, still feels like the real thing to many people. Signing on screen is faster and leaves a better trail. Most organisations end up using both, and the useful question is which documents belong on which path. Here is a practical comparison to help you sort them.

How each one moves

A paper document has to travel. Someone prints it, posts or couriers it, waits, chases, and then scans the returned pages. If a page is missed or initials are forgotten, the whole loop starts again. When one party is in Invercargill and the other is in Whangārei, that loop can take a week.

An electronic document travels by email. The signer opens it within minutes, and a missing field is impossible because you can make it required before they can finish.

Knowing where things are up to

With paper, you know a document has been signed when it lands back on your desk. Until then you are guessing. SignAndGo shows who has opened an envelope, who has signed and who hasn't yet, so you can send a nudge to the one person holding things up rather than emailing everyone.

The record you are left with

A signed paper original sits in a filing cabinet, and copies drift around inboxes. An electronic envelope keeps the finished document with its audit trail: every view and signature, with names, email addresses, times and IP addresses. A completion certificate goes to each signer and a verification ID lets anyone check a copy online.

Paper: one original, a scanned copy, no record of who opened it when.
Electronic: the same finished copy for every party, plus a timestamped trail.

When paper may still be the right call

Some documents come with formal steps of their own, such as being witnessed in person or executed in a set way, and some organisations you deal with may simply insist on an original. Treat those as exceptions to check, not as a reason to keep everything on paper. Ask your adviser about any document you are unsure of before sending it electronically.

It also helps to think about the signer. An elderly relative who has never used email may be better served by a printed copy and a visit.

Running both side by side

A simple approach is to list the documents your business signs most often and mark each one electronic or paper. Electronic ones become templates in SignAndGo with the fields already placed. The paper ones keep their existing process, and you revisit the list when your adviser or the other party changes their view.

Common questions

What is a wet signature?: A signature made with a pen on a physical page, as opposed to one made on a screen.
Can I mix the two on one deal?: Many teams do: the main agreement goes out electronically while a document that needs an original follows by post.
Who decides if a document needs paper?: Your adviser, or the organisation asking for the document. SignAndGo does not make that call.