Work with wet signatures.

Some agreements require wet signatures. Digital technology can help you obtain these physical signatures quickly.

A person filling out a signature using their mobile phone while outside a building

What is a wet signature?

A wet signature is any signature affixed to a hard copy with a pen or other writing device. While electronic signatures have become more common and accepted, some governments and private businesses still require parties to physically imprint their mark on a signed document, and some signers prefer it too.

A wet signature does not necessarily have to be a person’s name. According to the U.S. Uniform Commercial Code, “A signature may be made manually or by means of a device or machine, and by the use of any name, including a trade or assumed name, or by a word, mark, or symbol executed or adopted by a person with present intention to authenticate a writing.”

That means a signature need not be a person’s name, and it need not be made with an ink pen. Marks made on a piece of paper with a stamp, personal seal, or name seal also count, as well as a thumbprint, unreadable lines of cursive, typed name, and even a distinctive “X” or a pair of initials. All can legally be considered a signature.

A person doing a wet signature while sitting at their desk

An image of a project estimate being viewed in Adobe Sign

How to obtain a wet signature quickly and efficiently.

Wet signatures are not as easy to obtain as electronic signatures, but Acrobat Sign speeds up the process. Acrobat Sign supports both written and electronic signature options, and wet signatures are built in to the Acrobat Sign workflow.

The signer downloads a document with the field requiring their wet signature or personal seal.
The signer prints the document.
The signer physically signs the document.
The signer scans the document back into a digital form with a smartphone or other device.
The signer uploads the file and sends it back to the requester.

Learn more about getting wet signatures

Electronic signatures are valid in all U.S. territories.

Electronic signatures have been recognized and legal in the United States for decades now. In 2000 the U.S. Congress passed the U.S. Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, which made electronic signatures legally valid in every U.S. state, territory, and anywhere else that U.S. federal law applies. Since the passage of the ESIGN Act, electronic signatures have become more common internationally and are now recognized in most countries as a standard way to authenticate business and legal documents.

Electronic signatures save money and cut costs for organizations by implementing digital solutions. According to a study by Capgemini, companies that use electronic systems and digital solutions are 26% more profitable than those that do not.

Signing documents with Adobe Sign on a mobile device, tablet, and laptop

See how these companies moved to digital signatures.

Using wet signatures takes time, effort, and money. The following organizations sped up their workflow and saved valuable time for all parties involved by switching to digital signatures.

Police ICT

Police in the United Kingdom had to meet with each witness in person to have them sign a hard copy of their statement. Adobe ICT partnered with Police ICT, a company that supports law enforcement in the UK, to streamline and digitize the process. Police were able to meet with witnesses via phone and obtain electronic signatures verifying their statements, reserving in-person meetings for serious crimes. Moving toward greater use of electronic signatures saved approximately 25,000 work hours per year.

CXC

CXC is an Australian workforce management company. Some years ago, they were expanding rapidly and needed to onboard over 2,000 contractors as quickly as possible. By adding electronic signatures to their workflow, CXC was able to save 28 hours per month in contract management time, grow rapidly, and turn what could have been a painful expansion into a smooth transition.

Integrate wet signatures into digital workflows.

Make wet signatures easier and electronic signatures your standard with Acrobat Sign. Acrobat Sign is compliant with relevant electronic signature laws and syncs seamlessly with other industry-standard business software. Adobe Acrobat Pro allows you to create fillable PDFs and collect electronic signatures so you can save time and cut costs by taking paper out of your workflow.

Learn more about electronic signatures