A signature drawn with a mouse rarely looks like yours. If you want your real handwritten signature on a PDF, you can photograph it on paper and place it on the document. FairFill does this in Chrome. It removes the background from the photo automatically, so you get the ink without the paper behind it.

The PDF stays on your computer. FairFill processes it in your browser and never uploads it. There is no account and no watermark, and saving is free.

Take the photo

  1. Sign a blank sheet of paper. Plain paper and a pen that leaves a clear, dark line usually give the cleanest result.
  2. Take a photo of the signature with your phone, then move it to the computer you will sign on.

Open the PDF

FairFill gives you three ways to open a file:

  • Click the FairFill icon while the PDF is open in Chrome.
  • Right-click a link to a PDF.
  • Drag and drop the file.

It works in Chrome and on Chromebooks. Password-protected PDFs work too.

Place your signature

  1. Choose to sign, then upload the photo of your signature. FairFill removes the background automatically.
  2. Click the spot on the page where the signature belongs. This works on flat PDFs with no form fields, so a scanned letter or a contract counts.
  3. Add a date next to it if the form asks for one. You can also add text, checkmarks and crosses anywhere on the page.
  4. If the PDF has real form fields, type into the text boxes, tick the checkboxes and pick from the dropdowns.

FairFill saves your signature for next time. When the next form arrives, you skip the photo and reuse the saved one.

If the photo doesn’t suit you

You have two other options in the same place. You can draw your signature, or type your name and have it shown in a handwriting font. Typing is quicker if you have no pen and paper nearby. The photo is still the best option if you want the signature to look like the one on your passport or bank card.

Fix mistakes and lock it

  1. Wrote something in the wrong box? Use whiteout to cover it, then type it again.
  2. When everything is correct, flatten the form. After flattening, the fields and your signature can’t be edited.
  3. Save or print. Both are free and neither adds a watermark.

I would flatten anything you send to someone else. It stops the fields from being edited after the file leaves your hands.

When this is the wrong tool

FairFill signatures are simple electronic signatures. They suit most everyday forms, like permission slips, rental applications or a delivery note. Some documents need a certified digital signature or notarization, and a picture of your signature on the page won’t meet that requirement. If the recipient asks for a specific signing method, use that one.

Why not just use Chrome’s viewer?

Chrome can already fill PDF form fields. It can’t put a photo of your signature on the page, type on a flat PDF, reuse saved signatures, whiteout mistakes or flatten the result. Those are the gaps FairFill covers.

Add FairFill to Chrome