How to scan a paper contract and send it for signature

Before you scan

• Is this the final wording? Fields go on top of the scan; you can't edit the printed text. If something needs changing, change it on paper first and have the change initialed, or send a corrected version.
• Already signed by one side? That's fine. Their ink signature is part of the scan, and you only add fields for the people who still need to sign.
• Blank lines for a price, a date or an address can become text fields the signer fills in, so leave them empty on paper.

On iPhone or iPad: scan and send from the app

1. 1

   Start from Send for signature

   On the SignMaster app's Home screen, tap Send for signature, then Scan paper. (Or scan from the Scan tab and choose Send for signature after saving.)

2. 2

   Scan every page

   Keep Document mode selected and capture the pages in order. On the review screen, drag thumbnails to reorder, delete and rescan a blurry page, and pick a crisp look like Auto or B&W.

3. 3

   Save it

   Tap the checkmark, give it a name your customer will recognize, like "Ridgeview Dr roof contract", pick the job folder and tap Save PDF. The send flow opens with the scan already attached.

4. 4

   Add who's signing

   Add each signer's name and email, or pick them from your contacts. Each person gets their own link.

5. 5

   Place the fields

   Tap Place fields on the page, choose a signer and drop a signature field on each line meant for them, plus initials, a date signed or text fields over the blanks. Every signer needs at least one signature.

6. 6

   Add a note and send

   Add a short message, a sign-by date and reminders if you want them, check the review and slide to send.

Customer at the kitchen table? Skip the email: open the envelope, choose Sign in person and hand them the phone. Signing mode fills the screen and only your Face ID, Touch ID or passcode ends it. More on signing in person.

From a computer, with any phone as the camera

No iPhone, or you'd rather place fields on a big screen? Start on the computer and use your phone only to take the pictures. This works with Android phones too, through the phone's browser.

1. 1

   Start a new envelope

   In SignMaster on the web, click New envelope, then Scan with your phone where you'd normally drop a file. A QR code appears.

2. 2

   Point your phone at the code

   The scanner opens in the phone's browser, with nothing to install and no sign-in. If the SignMaster app is on the phone, it opens there instead.

3. 3

   Shoot and tidy the pages

   Photograph each page, drag the corners to straighten it, rotate or reorder, and pick a look. Then send the pages.

4. 4

   Finish on the computer

   The pages arrive as one PDF in your draft. Add the signers, place their fields and send, the same as any upload.

Browser scans are page images without searchable text, and the link works for a short time on one phone. Scans made in the iPhone app have their text read on the phone.

Placing fields on a scan

• Signature fields sit just above the printed line, so the signature lands where an ink one would.
• Date signed fills itself when the person signs; use it next to a printed "Date" line instead of a text field.
• Initials on every page are worth adding on long contracts, the same as you'd ask for on paper.
• Countersigning? Set a signing order so the customer signs first and you sign last.
• Hiding something first? Draw a redaction box in the editor over an account number or a previous customer's details; the page is rebuilt so nothing under the box survives.

When they've signed

Each signer opens a private link from their email and signs on any phone or computer, without an account. When the last person signs, everyone gets the signed PDF with a certificate of completion listing who signed, when and from which IP address, plus a SHA-256 fingerprint that shows if the file is ever changed. Keep the paper original too, at least until the signed copy is filed.