How to fill in and sign a PDF
Open the PDF in Overtype and type straight into its fields — text boxes, checkboxes, radio buttons and dropdowns all work as you'd expect. If the form has no real fields, use Add text to type onto the page. Sign with the pen or an uploaded signature, then save; flatten first if the entries must not be changed.
Forms arrive as PDFs constantly: contracts, consent forms, applications, expense claims. Printing, signing and scanning them back is slow, and it usually produces a crooked, unreadable copy.
Overtype fills them in on screen. If the PDF already has interactive fields, you can click and type into them just like any reader. If it is a flat form, use Add text to type onto the lines, then sign and flatten.
Step by step in Overtype
1. Open the form
Open the PDF in Overtype. It is read locally in your browser, which matters for a document carrying your address, salary or ID number.
2. Fill the fields
Click a field and type, tick checkboxes, pick radio options and dropdown choices; each value is saved into the document immediately and shows in any PDF reader.
3. No real fields? Use Add text to type onto the lines
Place a text box on each line and type the response. If the form already has real text, you can edit it directly instead.
4. Sign it
Draw your signature with the pen, or upload an image of a signature you already have, then position and size it over the signature line.
5. Save
Export the signed PDF to your computer. Flatten first if the entries must be locked.
Why this works on your device
A completed form is one of the most sensitive documents most people handle. Because Overtype does the work inside the browser, the filled-in copy is never transmitted, and there is no account holding a history of what you signed. The finished file goes straight to your downloads folder.
Questions
- Can I make a form other people can fill in?
- Yes. Add text fields and checkboxes, save the file, and whoever receives it can complete those fields. Flatten it when the form is finished.
- How do I add a signature?
- Draw it freehand with the pen tool or upload an image of your signature, then move and resize it into place.
- Do filled values show in other readers?
- Yes. Overtype writes the value into the field and regenerates its appearance, so Acrobat, Preview and Chrome all show it.