Signing documents has become a digital process in our modern world. PDF documents and electronic signatures have replaced pen and paper. This technological shift has increased document turnaround times and improved employee productivity and operational efficiency. There are several ways to sign a document online; one easy way is to use Google Docs. The web-based platform allows you to insert signatures. This article will cover how to insert a signature in Google Docs if you’re unfamiliar with it. We’ll also detail the following:
Let’s get started.
Google Docs has a base feature that allows you to insert signatures into your documents. It’s a multi-step process that we’ll outline below.
Start by opening the document that you want to sign in Google Docs. Scroll down and find the area where you need to add your signature. Once you’ve found it, click Insert on the top left-hand bar. Then, select Drawing and New from the drop-down menu.
The image below will help you understand the process described.
A pop-up interface should appear where you can manually draw or upload your digital signature. You can upload files from your device/computer or your Google Drive if you have one. We’ll draw a signature for the sake of this step-by-step guide.
To draw your signature, click the drop-down menu of the Line symbol/icon. Seven options should appear: Line, Arrow, Elbow Connector, Curved Connector, Curve, Polyline, and Scribble. The one that you want to select is Scribble.
Here’s an image to help you understand the process explained.
Use your mouse or touchscreen to draw your digital signature. Don’t rush the drawing; make it as accurate and clean as possible. Press Save and Close in the top right-hand corner when you’re done.
Your drawn digital signature will now be added to your Google Docs. It won’t be in the right place, so you must move it. We recommend changing the image settings of your drawn signature by left-clicking your image and selecting In front of text.
This image will provide you with some guidance.
Now all you have to do is simply drag and drop your digital signature in the right place. Here’s how it looks in the image examples:
As mentioned earlier, you can also upload an image of your digital signature from your hardware or Google Drive. Follow the same steps above until you get to the pop-up interface. Instead of drawing, press the Image symbol/icon.
Here’s an image to give you an idea of what it looks like.
An upload file interface should appear. You can upload a file from your device’s hardware or your Google Drive. Press Save and Close when you’ve attached the image file of your digital signature.
Now the image of your digital signature is in your Google document. If it’s transparent, change the text wrapping to In front of the text like the drawn signature method. Use the Behind text option if your signature has a white background.
These manual methods of inserting your signature in Google Docs aren’t difficult, but there are far easier ways. Continue reading below to find out what these methods are.
The easiest way to insert a signature in Google Docs is to use Signaturely, a digital signature software. It’s a web-based tool that makes it possible to sign and process contracts and agreements fast.
There are several benefits to using Signaturely to sign something in Google Docs electronically. For starters, it’s simple and more convenient than other, more complicated processes. You can upload, sign, process, and send secure documents with only an internet connection.
This streamlined approach speeds up document preparation and turnaround time. What once took hours and even days takes only minutes. Your sensitive documents are sent directly to your contract parties’ email inboxes.
Security is one of the greatest concerns for digital documents. Cyber terrorists can hack into your system and steal your sensitive data. Signaturely has several security measures that protect your information, such as encryption and two-factor authentication.
Signaturely is also affordable and offers a free plan. You can upload and sign any Google Doc that you want. The free plan is limited by the number of “signature requests.” Signature requests are when you need other people to sign, and you’re allowed three per month.
Using Signaturely to sign a Google document is short and sweet. Start by going to the Signaturely website and logging in to your Signaturely account. You can create an account for free if you don’t have one.
Once logged in, you’ll first want to link your Google Drive account with Signaturely. Press Integrations on the side menu to the left. This’ll take you to a page where you can integrate various cloud storage platforms with Signaturely.
You’ll see four options on this page: Google Drive, Dropbox, One Drive, and Box. You’ll want to press the Activate button for Google Drive. Here’s an image to help you understand how this process is done.
An activation widget will be sent where you can select your Google account. You should get a little pop-up interface in the top right corner of the page to confirm that you’ve successfully integrated Google Drive and Signaturely.
Now that you’ve integrated your Signaturely account with Google Drive, it’s time to upload, sign, and process your document. Start by selecting Sign on the sidebar to the left. Then, you’ll be presented with three. Who needs to sign? Options: Only Me, Me & Others, and Only Others.
Select the option that best fits your document needs. Here’s an image to help you understand the process.
You’ll be sent to a document preparation page after you’ve selected the right signing option. Fill out the form fields and then scroll down to the Upload File section. This section is where you can import your document file from Google Drive. Press the Fill Out & Sign button once you’ve attached your document file.
This will send you to a document editor page where you can add your digital signature. You can also add dates and text boxes. Press Send in the top right corner after editing the document.
The image examples were for a document that only you need to sign. The process for other contract parties is slightly different. You can assign signer locations where your signatories can add their digital signatures. You’ll also be able to email them a link to the document.
In many instances, you need to use your phone to sign a document. You might be outside the office, and time is of the essence. Signing a document digitally from your iPhone or Android device ensures a quick turnaround time.
Many individuals don’t have a laptop or desktop computer and must use their phones to electronically sign contracts, forms, and agreements. Although this slightly complicates the process, inserting a signature in Google Docs using a phone is still possible.
You’ll need to download the Google Docs app to insert your digital signature into your Google document. Start by finding your document in your Google Drive. You can do this through a web browser like Google Chrome or the Google Drive app.
You should now have your Google document open. What you want to do now is to attempt to edit it by pressing the icon in the bottom right corner. Doing this will activate the Google Doc app. Here’s an image to help you understand how to do this.
Now, you’ll have Google Docs activated and be able to edit your Google document. Scroll down to the section of your document that requires your digital signature. Once there, press the Insert symbol/icon, select Image, and then From Photos.
Look for the image of your digital signature and take a photo of it if you haven’t already.
Your digital signature should now be inserted into your Google document.
This is a rather messy and complicated process. You can save time and effort by using Signaturely instead. All you have to do is go to the Signaturely website, log on, and upload and sign your document.
You can alter your signature with the image settings on Google Docs if necessary. To do so, click on your signature and press Edit, located beneath it.
This’ll open up the editing page you initially used to create your digital signature. Using the scribble tool, you can attempt to redraw it for a cleaner image. You can also replace it with an uploaded image, and you can do that by selecting the Image symbol/icon.
You can tweak several other image options to customize your digital signature. These advanced editing tools allow you to change the following parameters: size and rotation, text wrapping, and position. Here are a few signature ideas if you still don’t have a digital signature.
Click on your digital signature and select All image options to access and edit these elements. This image will help you to understand how to do it. A sidebar with the three parameters should appear on the right.
That’s all of the built-in customizations that Google Docs offers. An easier way to edit your digital signature is to use Signaturely, and the web-based digital signature tool makes it simple to sign.
Go to the Signaturely website and log in to your account. Then, select Settings on the left-hand menu bar. You’ll want to then select Edit Signature in the submenu that appears. Press the three vertical dot symbols/icons above your image and then choose Edit.
This is where you can modify your existing digital signature or signatures to your heart’s content. Use this image to help guide you through the process.
You’ll then be taken to a signature editor, where you can edit your digital signature by typing, drawing, or uploading a new image file. Hit the Update signature button when you’ve completed editing your digital signature.
That’s all there is to it. Editing your digital signature with Signaturely is easy. It’s the recommended method; it’ll save you time and effort.
You can add your electronic signature to your Google Docs document in several ways. The first method involves using the Google Doc built-in drawing feature, which allows you to hand draw a signature and insert it into your document. You can also upload an image of your signature. The easier method involves using Signaturely, a web-based digital signature software. All you need to do is log in to your free Signaturely account and sync it with your Google Drive. Then you can upload your document file and use the Signaturely editor to sign it digitally.
What is the difference between an electronic signature and a digital signature?Electronic signatures and digital signatures are often used interchangeably to mean the same thing. However, they’re technically different from one another. A digital signature is a type of electronic signature that uses a special technical process to meet certain standards.
How do I insert a digital signature?You can insert a digital signature into a document in several ways. However, the easiest and best way is to use a digital signature tool like Signaturely. It’s a cloud-based application that allows you to create a digital signature and insert it into documents.
The digitization of the document signing process has shortened turnaround times and boosted operational efficiency. There are several ways to sign a document online. Many will use the Google Docs platform.
This article covered everything you need to know about how to insert a signature in Google Docs. We detailed several different methods you can use, including using the web-based digital signature tool Signaturely.
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