The coronavirus pandemic has changed the world as we know it. Whatever activity we possibly could, we have moved online. Offices, schools, colleges and pretty much all of our social interactions are taking place over video call. Classes, meetings and even official procedures are taking place online. There was a need for some kind of technology that made it easier to carry out official procedures from the safety of our homes. This is when digital signature softwares came into the picture. What are they? How to use them? Are they valid? Read on to find out the answers to all your queries about digital signature softwares.
What is digital signature softwares?
Digital signature software helps you to give your consent and agreement from anywhere by electronically signing documents. These are becoming increasingly popular nowadays as most businesses, schools and even colleges function remotely in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Using digital signature softwares, you sign documents online. You will not have to go through the hassles of getting your documents printed, copied, signed and sent back. You can just use any digital signature software to insert your signature into the PDF format of the document. You can also do this on Word if your document is in that format. We explore the workings of a digital signature software to make things easy for new users.
How to use digital signature softwares?
There are multiple ways in which you can get your digital signatures.
- One of the easiest methods to get your digital signature is to use your device. Using your touchscreen device, you can draw your signature on the screen using your finger or a stylus. Then, you can save this signature and use it whenever you need to sign online documents.
- The next method is to put your signature down on a piece of paper and take a picture of it. You can store this photo on your system in PNG format and insert it into documents which require you to sign them.
- Recreating a digital version of your signature using the touchpad of your laptop or the mouse of your system is another way to acquire your digital signature. All you have to do is drag the cursor along as you recreate your physical signature on your screen. Save this on your device for future use. While all of these methods do the job, the easiest by far has to be using digital signature softwares.
- In these softwares, all you have to do is type in your name in the space provided and you will get a drop down list of your name written in various signature fonts. All you have to do is pick the one that resembles your physical signature the most. That’s it! You have your digital signature. Henceforth, you can insert this signature whenever you need to sign a document. This is valid across many formats of documents. You can use a digital signature software to add your signature in Word documents as well as PDFs.
Who can use digital signature softwares?
Working professionals, business owners and even students can use these softwares to create their digital signatures and sign online documents. If you are wondering how these softwares can help students, then read on.
Digital signature softwares in educational institutes
Going digital saves time that can be utilised in academic tasks rather than worrying about operational ones. So, students and parents are looking for a more digital experience when they are picking a school. Integrating the system of digital signatures into the education sector helps in cutting time devoted to application procedures, payment of tuition, signing forms and other documents.
Advantages of using digital signature softwares in educational institutes
- Students and younger people are extremely comfortable with the digital world and prefer to do things digitally wherever possible. Going digital with administrative procedures is more comfortable for students. So, they prefer it.
- Another advantage of going digital is that a lot of costs can be cut by doing so. Costs of paper, ink and printing out the documents can be cut by taking the process online.
- Taking the process online also saves time that would be wasted in mailing documents back and forth between the student and the school.
- It is easier to keep track of information like the payment and loan information, certificates, grade cards of each student.
The academic forms where digital signatures can be used
Admission procedures, scholarship documents, financial aid documents, loan papers, progress reports, change of course applications, transfer requests, school leaving certificates and more can be signed online using digital signature softwares. Blank i9 forms can be stored and used electronically to keep track of all the documents which have been electronically signed. This is an extremely useful form as it can be used to store and recover documents that have been signed electronically. Blank i9 forms can store these documents for upto three years and more, if required. It just has to be retained for longer if the need arises. It is for this reason that businesses and schools prefer to use this to keep track of all the digitally signed documents that may have been turned in to them for official purposes so that these documents are not lost among the huge number of documents that they generally have to keep track of.
To Conclude
Digital signature software is the way forward. They make life easier for both parties – the ones who have to sign the documents and the ones to whom the documents have to be submitted. Digital signature softwares in addition to blank i9 forms which keep track of all digitally signed documents make things even easier as they abet the risk of losing documents among the many that have to be kept safe. They are also safe, easy to use and valid in most sectors so more and more are opting to switch to digital signatures. If you are considering making the switch then you should hurry up.
