Adding Signatures to PDFs

// Step 1. Create a PDF
PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.renderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Testing 2048 bit digital security</h1>");

// Step 2. Create a Signature.
// You may create a .pfx or .p12 PDF signing certificate using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
// Read: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/digital-ids.html
Signature signature = new Signature("Iron.pfx", "123456");

// Step 3. Optional signing options and a handwritten signature graphic
signature.setSigningContact("support@ironsoftware.com");
signature.setSigningLocation("Chicago, USA");
signature.setSigningReason("To show how to sign a PDF");
BufferedImage signatureImage = ImageIO.read(new File("handwriting.png"));
WritableRaster raster = signatureImage.getRaster();
DataBufferByte data = (DataBufferByte) raster.getDataBuffer();
signature.setSignatureImage(data.getData());

// Step 4. Sign the PDF with the PdfSignature. Multiple signing certificates may be used
SignatureManager signatureManager = pdf.getSignature();
signatureManager.signPdfWithSignature(signature);

// Step 5. The PDF is not signed until saved to file, stream or byte array.
pdf.saveAs("signed.pdf");

' Step 1. Create a PDF
Dim pdf As PdfDocument = PdfDocument.renderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Testing 2048 bit digital security</h1>")

' Step 2. Create a Signature.
' You may create a .pfx or .p12 PDF signing certificate using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
' Read: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/digital-ids.html
Dim signature As New Signature("Iron.pfx", "123456")

' Step 3. Optional signing options and a handwritten signature graphic
signature.setSigningContact("support@ironsoftware.com")
signature.setSigningLocation("Chicago, USA")
signature.setSigningReason("To show how to sign a PDF")
Dim signatureImage As BufferedImage = ImageIO.read(New File("handwriting.png"))
Dim raster As WritableRaster = signatureImage.getRaster()
Dim data As DataBufferByte = CType(raster.getDataBuffer(), DataBufferByte)
signature.setSignatureImage(data.getData())

' Step 4. Sign the PDF with the PdfSignature. Multiple signing certificates may be used
Dim signatureManager As SignatureManager = pdf.getSignature()
signatureManager.signPdfWithSignature(signature)

' Step 5. The PDF is not signed until saved to file, stream or byte array.
pdf.saveAs("signed.pdf")

Adding Signatures to PDFs

Java Developers can add electronic and digital signatures to PDF documents programmatically using IronPDF for Java's Signature and SignatureManager classes.

For digital signatures, instantiate a new Signature class with the location of a valid .pfx and .p12 certifcate, along with its password. Next, call the signPdfWithSignature method on the working PDF's SignatureManager to sign the PDF with the certificate.

IronPDF also supports inclusion of signature images, in the form of computer-generated text images or digitized images of handwriting. Add such images to a signature with the addSignatureImage method prior to signing the PDF.

Need to add a handwritten signature on a PDF page instead? Use the HtmlStamper class to add HTML text and images to one or more pages of a document.

How to Add Digital Signature to a PDF Programmatically in Java

Install Java library to sign digital signature to PDF
Use intuitive APIs to load existing or render new PDF
Create Signature object and customize granular information
Access SignatureManager by calling getSignature method on PDF instance
Sign PDF with signPdfWithSignature method in SignatureManager instance

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Adding Signatures to PDFs

Adding Signatures to PDFs

How to Add Digital Signature to a PDF Programmatically in Java

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Ready to get started? Version: 2023.4 just released