E-Signature
Middlebury is now offering E-Signature to all faculty and staff via the Adobe Sign platform. Please read through our FAQ below and visit http://go.middlebury.edu/adobesign/ to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q What’s the best way to send documents for signature using Adobe Sign?
It depends on your needs; however, signing in via the web portal allows for the most functionality. Sign in to the web portal at http://go.middlebury.edu/adobesign/
Q If I just need to sign a PDF, what’s the easiest way to do that?
If you have a PDF on your computer which needs to be signed, the easiest way to sign is likely using the Adobe Acrobat Reader application, which is free. Please see Adobe’s instructions for e-signing with Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Q If I’m emailed a PDF document, is there an easy way to sign directly from Outlook?
Yes, Adobe has created an Office 365 Add-in which allows for e-signature directly from Outlook. Please see Adobe’s site for more information on installing and using the Add-In.
Q Can I use Adobe Sign to gather sensitive information?
Yes, but please refer to Middlebury’s data classification policy for more information on what constitutes sensitive data and recommendations.
Q Can I store templates using Adobe Sign if there’s a common form I need to send?
Yes, you can create and share templates, either in Adobe Sign or from OneDrive or Google Drive.
Q Once I’ve signed a document, how can I review what I’ve signed?
All signed documents are available in Adobe’s Document Cloud. Sign into http://go.middlebury.edu/adobesign/ and go to the “manage” tab to view signed and sent documents.
Q If all parties have signed a document, can it be sent for signature again?
No, once a document has been signed by all parties, it is no longer available for signature or editing via the Adobe platform.
Q How can I share a signed document with my department?
You can either carbon copy CC colleagues on the document itself or you can share a document after it has been sent or signed.
You can also download the document and upload it to a shared storage location, like Microsoft or Google cloud storage locations. See more at http://go.middlebury.edu/cloudoverview.
Q Can I just send a document for signature or am I also able to add fillable fields?
In addition to sending documents for signature, users can also use Adobe Sign to create fill-able web forms which can be re-used. See Adobe’s Create a web form for more information.
Q How do I add fill-able fields to a PDF document which needs to be signed?
When sending a document, you can either create a PDF which already has fill-able fields in Acrobat Pro, or you can upload a simple Word document. Before sending the document, check the “preview and add signature fields” option. This will allow you to mark the appropriate areas for signature as well as adding other fields. Adobe Sign will also attempt to automatically add the correct fields into an uploaded document.
Q What is an audit report?
An audit reported is a generated document which includes the history of the agreement, including who has viewed and signed it, as well as their IP address. For more information on audit reports, please see Adobe’s documentation.
Q How can I be certain that the signer of my agreement is the intended recipient?
There are four different ways in which Adobe can verify the identity of a signer of an agreement.
- Email verification - this is the default method applied to all agreements - a signee must verify their email address when signing a document. This prevents documents from being forwarded.
- Password - you can add a password to an agreement which is only shared with the signee of the document.
- Social - the user is required to authenticate to the document using a Microsoft, Facebook or Google identity.
- Adobe Sign Authentication - the user must sign in to their Adobe Sign identity to be able to sign this document. This method only works for other Enterprise Adobe Sign customers or internal Adobe Sign users.
For more information on these methods, please visit Adobe’s web site.