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Summary
The University System of New Hampshire (USNH) offers two different e-signature software products: Adobe Acrobat Sign and Adobe Acrobat Pro. Each has different features and uses, making it important to choose the right one for your needs. This article provides guidance on how to choose which e-signature product to use in your situation. Both Adobe Acrobat Sign and Adobe Acrobat Pro are available for active USNH employees.
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Overview
Adobe Acrobat Sign is an e-signature collecting product available to USNH employees across the USNH system. With Adobe Acrobat Sign, you can request signatures and track them through a document management workflow, see status, etc. Adobe Acrobat Sign is licensed for use with legal documents and procurement contracts. This software includes security measures, such as watermarks and timestamps, to ensure the authenticity and integrity of signed documents. See article - Adobe Acrobat Sign: Getting Started.
Adobe Acrobat Pro, available through USNH's Adobe site license, provides a basic e-signature option for digitally signing PDF documents. With Adobe Acrobat Pro, you can email someone a document and ask them to digitally sign it, save it, and send it back, but it provides no tracking or workflow. It can be used for general use documents that require signatures but do not require workflows or tracking. Adobe Acrobat has an intuitive interface that is easy to use for requesting signatures on documents, but Acrobat Pro may only be installed on USNH-owned devices. See article - Digitally Signing a PDF using licensed Adobe Acrobat Pro (USNH-issued computer).
Note: digitally signing a PDF through Adobe Acrobat Pro is not the same as using the "Adobe Acrobat Sign" product. USNH faculty and staff now have access to both options.
What to use When
When choosing the right e-signature software for your needs, it is important to consider the type of documents you will be working with, the level of security you require, and the features you need.
- For e-signature collection, with document management workflows and tracking, or for legal documents or procurement contracts, Adobe Acrobat Sign is the recommended option due to its tracking, document management, and security features and integration with USNH systems.
- For digitally signing general use PDF documents, Adobe Acrobat Pro is a good choice.
Consider your specific needs when selecting the appropriate software for your e-signature requirements.
What's the difference between Acrobat Sign and Acrobat Pro e-signatures?
Adobe Acrobat Sign and Adobe Acrobat Pro DC are two separate software programs. While both can be used for signatures, there are many differences.
Adobe Acrobat Sign, as the name suggests, is for sending and receiving documents for signatures. The documents are filed in the cloud in the user’s account. Many different file types can be opened in Acrobat Sign, then signature fields put into the document. They are sent to the user’s email address. Once in Acrobat Sign, the document cannot be edited in any way. All editing must be completed before opening in Acrobat Sign. Basically, Adobe Acrobat Sign is software for signing documents, which are then stored in the cloud, only accessible by the account owner.
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC can not only send documents out for signature, but after a file is saved as a PDF, the document can be edited, the pages rearranged, files combined, forms created, scanned for accessibility, and many other features. The documents are saved by the user onto their computer or server. Signatures are set up within Adobe Acrobat on the user’s computer. Once the signature fields are in place, the document can be sent out for signing. This is done in Adobe Acrobat by using one of the many tools included in the program.
Both Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and Adobe Acrobat Sign are used for signing documents and sending out documents to be signed. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC documents are saved by the user to their computer or server. Adobe Acrobat Sign documents are saved in the cloud within the user's Acrobat Sign account.
- Adobe Acrobat Sign - This is Adobe's standalone e-signature solution. It allows you to create, manage, and track signature requests completely online without needing Acrobat installed. It has more advanced features than Acrobat e-signatures. Adobe Acrobat Sign gives ownership to the organization. You can assign admins and if someone leaves the company you can still access their past signed documents.
- Acrobat e-signatures (in Standard/Pro) - This allows you to add e-signature fields directly in Acrobat and send requests from the desktop app. However, the signature process itself happens online. The Request E-Signature button will be missing if the license doesn't include advanced PDF/e-signature capabilities. With regular Acrobat, the document and signature request is owned by the individual account.
Further Readings
Adobe Acrobat Sign: Getting Started
Adobe Acrobat Sign Login page - https://documents.adobe.com/public/login
Adobe Acrobat: Digitally Signing a PDF using licensed Adobe Acrobat Pro (USNH-issued computer) - only available on USNH-owned devices
Adobe Acrobat: Digitally Signing a PDF using free Adobe Acrobat Reader (personal device) - free Acrobat Reader, available to everyone
Need additional help?
For questions related to Adobe Acrobat Sign, fill out the Adobe Acrobat Sign Request form to request support, training, or a new account (choose Request Type: Account Request for new account requests).
For questions related to other Adobe products, visit the Technology Help Desk Support page to locate your local campus contact information or to submit an online technology support request. For password issues you must call or visit the Help Desk in person.