Adobe Sign

All University of Maine System employees have access to Adobe Acrobat Pro. This means you already have a quick, secure way to sign or collect signatures on most documents without needing Adobe Sign.

Adobe Sign is reserved for specific use cases that require authentication or legal verification. Most day-to-day approvals or acknowledgments do not need it.

Each Adobe Sign transaction costs $1.30 and there is a limited pool of transactions available, so it should be used only when it adds clear business value.

When to Use Acrobat Pro

If you just need someone to sign, review, or confirm a document, you can do everything you need directly in Adobe Acrobat Pro.

To sign a document yourself

1. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro

2. Select Fill & Sign from the right-hand toolbar

3. Click Sign and choose Add Signature

4. Type, draw, or upload your signature image

5. Place it on the document and save

To collect a signature without Adobe Sign

If you need someone else to sign a document:

1. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro

2. Use Fill & Sign to add any fields or notes that clarify where others should sign

3. Save the file to your computer and email it to the person who needs to sign

4. They can open the PDF in Acrobat or Acrobat Reader, use Fill & Sign to add their own signature, and email it back to you

This process works well for internal approvals or acknowledgments that do not require authentication or legal verification.

When to Use Adobe Sign

Use Adobe Sign only when you need one of the following:

• A legally binding signature that requires identity verification

• Signatures from external entities such as vendors, partners, or contractors

• A formal routing and audit trail that shows who signed and when

These workflows typically involve contracts, purchase agreements, or other documents that must hold up to legal review.

If you do need Adobe Sign access, you can request it through the IT Help Desk.

How to Request Adobe Sign Access

1. Go to the UMS IT Help Desk

2. Select Submit a Ticket

3. In the description, include:

   • A short explanation of why you need to collect legally binding or external signatures

   • The types of documents or workflows you plan to manage

Your request will be reviewed and approved based on business need.

When You Don’t Need a Visual Signature

A visible, hand-drawn signature is not what makes a document valid. Authentication is what matters.

For most internal forms, an electronic acknowledgment — for example, checking a box, typing your name, or using an authenticated Google Form — is equally valid. Unless a law, policy, or contract specifically requires a legally bound signature, a form submission or Acrobat-based acknowledgment is enough.

Choosing the Right Option

Environment

• Adobe