Prepare a signing packet

What a signing packet is for

Most "please sign" emails fail the same way: the person signs the wrong line, misses the initials on page 3, or forgets the date, and the document comes back twice. A signing packet is the paper-office fix — coloured flags on every line, a cover sheet saying who signs where — rebuilt for PDFs. It is not an online signature service: there is no account, nothing is uploaded, and FormFlow does not send anything or keep a record. You stay in control of where the document goes.

How to use this tool

1. Open the PDF that needs signatures — a lease, an engagement letter, a permission form.
2. Add the signers. Type each person's name. Each one gets their own colour.
3. Mark the spots. Pick a signer, choose Signature, Initials, Date signed or Printed name, and tap the page. Drag to adjust; the pink dot resizes.
4. Create the packet and send it yourself. Download the PDF and email it, share it through your own cloud drive, or print it. Signers can sign in any PDF reader or with Sign PDF.

Examples

• A residential lease with two tenants: signature and date for each tenant on the last page, initials for both on every page of rules.
• A contractor agreement: you sign first with Sign PDF, then mark the client's signature and printed-name spots and send the packet over.
• A field-trip form for 25 families: one parent signature and date spot, cover note with the due date, then share the same packet with everyone.

Wondering whether a PDF signature counts? Read are electronic signatures legal in the US?

Questions people ask

Does FormFlow send the document to the signers?

No. FormFlow has no server that stores documents and it does not send emails, texts or reminders. You download the packet and send it yourself — as an email attachment, through your own file-sharing link, or printed on paper.

What do the signers see?

A cover page listing who signs where, then the document with a coloured "SIGN HERE", "INITIAL" or "DATE" flag next to every spot, each labelled with the signer's name. If you keep fillable fields on, the spots are real PDF fields: signature fields open the signing flow in Adobe Acrobat Reader, and initials and date boxes can be typed into in any PDF reader.

Can the signers use FormFlow to sign?

Yes, but they do not have to. They can open the packet in FormFlow's Sign PDF tool on their phone or computer, or in Adobe Acrobat Reader, Apple Preview or any PDF app. Paper works too: the flags print, so someone can sign by hand and scan the pages back with Scan to PDF.

Can I remove the flags after everyone has signed?

The flags are PDF annotations, like sticky notes, so they can be deleted in most PDF editors. They are not part of the page itself, which means they do not damage the document underneath.

Does a signing packet create a legal record of who signed?

No. FormFlow does not verify identities, record IP addresses or keep an audit trail. If you need those, use a dedicated e-signature service. For many everyday documents, a signed PDF is enough — see our plain-English guide to the ESIGN Act and UETA.

Other FormFlow tools

Fill PDF formType into fillable fields or add text anywhere on a flat PDF.Sign PDFDraw, type or upload a signature. Add initials and dates.Create fillable PDFTurn any PDF into a real form with fields people can fill.Scan to PDFPhotograph paper pages, crop and clean them, save one PDF.Extract form dataPull answers from many filled forms into CSV or JSON.Flatten or clear a formLock filled answers in place, strip fields, or reset a form.