How to Sign and Scan an Agreement with Your iPhone
If the agreement is still unsigned, scan the pages first, then draw your signature with the Signature tool, fill the date with Text insert, and export one PDF. If you already signed on paper, scan it flat under even light so the ink keeps its full stroke weight. Everything runs on your iPhone and export is free with no watermark.
Tools used: Crop & perspective fixSignatureMarkupText insertPDF conversion
Step by step
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Scan all the pages before signing anything
Capture the complete agreement in order first, so the signature ends up inside the same file as the terms it applies to. A signature page returned on its own is one of the most common things a counterparty rejects. Frame wider than each sheet so footer initials and page numbers survive.
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Draw the signature once, carefully
Use the Signature tool and sign with a finger or stylus at a comfortable size rather than cramming into a small box on screen. Draw it deliberately — a rushed on-screen scrawl looks nothing like your usual signature, which is what gets questioned later. You place and resize it on the signature line afterwards.
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Fill the date and name fields with Text insert
Printed forms usually have a typed date, printed-name, and title line next to the signature block, and handwriting those on screen looks worse than typing them. Use Text insert, match the size to the surrounding print, and place it on the line rather than above it. Check the date format the document itself uses.
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Or scan a hand-signed page properly
If you signed on paper, lay the page flat under even indirect light and shoot straight down. Ballpoint and light blue ink lose stroke weight when a scan is over-brightened, so keep processing gentle on signature pages even if you cleaned up the rest of the document harder. Square it with Crop & perspective fix.
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Review, then export one PDF
Scroll through every page before exporting and confirm the signature sits on the line, the date is right, and no page is missing or duplicated. Export the whole agreement as a single PDF and send or AirPrint from there. Ask the recipient whether they need the signature page separately as well.
Frequently asked
- Is a signature drawn in an app legally binding?
- That depends on the type of agreement, the law where you are, and what the parties agreed — it is not something a scanning app can determine. Many routine agreements are accepted this way and some formal ones are not. Confirm with the other party before relying on it, and keep the paper original if there is one.
- Can I reuse the same signature on other documents?
- Yes — the Signature tool lets you place a drawn signature onto any scanned page, so you do not redraw it for every document. Place and resize it per document so it sits properly on the line. Treat it like your physical signature and be deliberate about where you apply it.
- Why does my signature look thin or broken in the scan?
- Usually over-processing: raising brightness or contrast hard to clean up a grey page also thins ballpoint strokes, and light blue ink suffers most. Process signature pages gently, or export the signature page with lighter settings than the rest. Shooting under even indirect light reduces how much correction you need at all.
- Should I send the whole agreement or just the signature page?
- Return the full document as one PDF unless the recipient specifically asked for only the executed page. A signature page alone is ambiguous about what was agreed and often gets sent back. If they want both, export the whole file and share the page count with them.
- Are the signed pages uploaded anywhere?
- No. Capture, edge detection, and text recognition run on the device using Apple's built-in frameworks, and document images are not sent to a server. There is no account requirement and no cloud copy of your signature or your documents. Files leave your phone only when you share or print them.
Last updated 2026-07-28