How do I turn a Word document into a PDF with fill-in boxes for signing?

Make each blank in your Word document plain red, save the document as a PDF and upload it in the Send Document box. SignZA finds the red text and puts a typing box on each red blank, so you do not have to drag a box onto every one. You add the signature box yourself, then your client types in each box and signs on their phone.

Steps

  1. In Word, select a blank you want your client to fill in. On the Home ribbon open Font Color and click Red in the Standard Colors row. Do not pick Dark Red.
  2. Make only the blanks red. Keep each red phrase short and on one line.
  3. Save the document as a PDF: File, Save As, choose PDF as the file type, then Save.
  4. In SignZA, press Send Document. On the Document step, drop the PDF on "Drop PDF here or click to browse", then press Continue →.
  5. On the Signer step, add your client's details and press Continue →.
  6. On the Options step, leave "Place signature fields first" switched on and press "Send document ✓". Nothing goes to your client yet.
  7. The field editor opens with a banner saying how many text placeholders it found from red text. The Fields list on the right shows a text box for each red blank.
  8. Click + Signature Field and drag a box onto the signature line.
  9. Look over each box, then press Send Link →.
  10. Your client taps each box on their phone, types the answer and taps Done, then signs. The signed copy shows their answers where the red was.

Good to know

  • Any red text becomes a box, whatever it says, so make only the blanks red.
  • A red phrase that wraps onto a second line becomes two boxes, so keep each blank on one line.
  • SignZA takes PDFs only, so save your Word document as a PDF first.
  • The red prompts are hidden in the signed copy.
  • Red text detection works on the Free plan.

Questions and answers

Does this work when I send from a saved template or to several signers?

No. SignZA looks for red text when you upload a PDF in the Send Document box for one signer. It does not look for it when you send from a saved template or to several signers.

What happens if my fill-in is Dark Red?

SignZA skips a Dark Red fill-in. Use plain Red from the Standard Colors row. If it finds no red text, the banner tells you it found no red placeholders and you can place the boxes yourself.

Can red text give me a signature box?

No. Red text gives typing boxes only. Add the signature box yourself with + Signature Field.

Can I change the boxes before I send?

Yes. The banner says "Review and adjust before sending", so look over each box, then press Send Link →.

What does my client see on the signed copy?

The red words are gone and your client's typed answers sit in their place.

Next video

Next in the seriesHow do I save a document as a template and send it again?

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