SignAndGoPDF editors and e-signing tools: when you need which.
Many offices already own a PDF editor, and most can drop a signature image onto a page. So why would you need an e-signing tool as well? Because the two answer different questions. One is about the document itself. The other is about getting several people to complete it, and proving afterwards that they did.
What a PDF editor is good at
Editing text, merging and splitting files, redacting, filling a form for yourself, converting from Word and back. If you are the only person who needs to touch the document, or you are preparing a file before it goes anywhere, an editor is the right tool.
What an e-signing tool adds
An e-signing tool manages the people around the document. It sends each person their part in the right order, marks the fields they must complete, reminds the slow ones, and records each view and signature. When everyone is done, it gives each party the finished copy with a completion certificate.
In SignAndGo each envelope also carries an audit trail with names, email addresses, times and IP addresses, and a verification ID anyone can check online. A signature image pasted in an editor carries none of that.
A quick way to tell which you need
Ask three questions about the job in front of you.
- Does anyone other than me need to fill in or sign this?
- Will I need to show later who signed, and when?
- Will I send this same document again next month?
Using both together
The two tools work well in sequence. Prepare and tidy the document in your editor, or in Word. Then upload the PDF or Word file to SignAndGo, place the fields and send. If you send it often, save it as a template so the editing step only happens when the wording changes.
Some teams draft a contract in Word, compare it against the last round, then send it. SignAndGo can give a plain-language comparison of two versions to show what changed, which helps before the final send.
Things to avoid
Avoid signing a PDF in an editor, emailing it, and asking the other party to do the same and send it back. You end up with several near-identical files and no single record. Also avoid editing a document after it has been sent for signature: correct it and send a fresh envelope instead.
Common questions
- Can I upload Word documents as well as PDFs?
- Yes. SignAndGo accepts both, and several can go in one envelope.
- Can SignAndGo show what changed between two drafts?
- Yes. It can compare two versions of a contract in plain language.
- Do I still need a PDF editor?
- Only for editing the document itself. Sending, signing and keeping the record happen in SignAndGo.