When I save a MS Word document (.docx) as a PDF, I am not able to sign it in Adobe Acrobat. Is there a way to export an MS Word doc to a signable PDF? Third party products are an option as well.
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1When you say "I am not able to sign it in Adobe Acrobat", do you mean there are no options available in tools? Or do you mean it fails?– CharlieRBJan 8, 2013 at 19:57
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Option is not available because the PDF format that Microsoft uses upon export from Word explicitly says that signing is not allowed (Acrobat Reader->File->Properties->Security)– Mark RichmanJan 8, 2013 at 21:31
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Uhm, guesses at large: --- try opening it with Acrobat, or something like that, maybe? Or save it as some other format (RTF, OpenOffice, etc) and try to convert it to PDF with another software. What you can be sure of is that Adobe software will be able to do this. So importing it in InDesign, for example, could perhaps do the job. Afterwards exporting it to PDF. --- The key phrase is: if Word won't allow you, find another program that will read your file and allow you to make a PDF out of it, the way you want it.– ArianeJan 8, 2013 at 22:11
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Agreed. Our PDFs exported from LiveCycle do not have this problem.– Mark RichmanJan 8, 2013 at 22:37
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Word (2010 at least) saves as PDF 1.5. If Acrobat can open it (don't see why not), try Saving As PDF 1.7. Also see whether you're saving as PDF/A using Word. Finally, as Ariane mentioned above you can always use some other free PDF printer whose output Acrobat doesn't have a problem with.– KaranJan 8, 2013 at 23:40
2 Answers
I am not sure if this was ever answered fully, but for future reference:
Save the word document as a PDF from the "Save as" menu
Open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (free, available below)
Click on the "Tools" tab
Open the "Fill and Sign" tool.
You can then input a signature as from here
With "Acrobat Reader DC", you can also sign the document digitally with "Certificates" tool in "Tools" tab.
Digital signing is for making sure the content did not change and for user authentication (see in wikipedia).
(I did not a help text about the functionality in acrobat reader, nor the stylograph icon, sorry. But there are articles about digital signatures in "Acrobat DC".)