Get answers to common questions about PDF digital signatures, Adobe Acrobat green checkmark verification, and secure document authentication.
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We provide enterprise-grade digital signatures for PDF documents that display the trusted green checkmark in Adobe Acrobat, proving document authenticity and integrity.
PDF digital signatures provide two critical proofs:
Organizations requiring document authenticity verification:
Digitally signed PDFs provide court-admissible proof of document authenticity. When disputes arise, the cryptographic signature serves as third-party verification, eliminating costly document authentication processes. The Adobe Acrobat green checkmark provides instant visual confirmation of validity.
Custom certificates provide organizational identity verification:
All certificates are secured using enterprise-grade protection:
In legal contexts, attestation means verifying that a document is authentic, unaltered, and agreed upon. Digital signing allows for multiple levels of attestation — from basic proof of authorship to notarized, regulation-grade assurance.
Attestation Level: 🟡 Individual Intent + Document Integrity
A signer uses a personal or system-generated key. Confirms:
✅ Proof of agreement
❌ Weak identity assurance without added verification
Attestation Level: 🟢 Trusted Third-Party Seal + Integrity
A document sealed by Trusted Signatures includes:
Ideal for: HR docs, internal policies, automated workflows
✅ Verified by PDF readers like Adobe
✅ Builds trust through consistent platform-level security
Attestation Level: 🔵 Identity + Integrity + Time
Includes a cryptographic timestamp from a trusted authority (TSA):
Ideal for: IP filings, time-sensitive contracts, regulatory documents
Attestation Level: 🔴 Strong Organizational Identity + Intent
A document signed using a certificate issued to the customer’s organization:
Ideal for: B2B contracts, procurement, vendor agreements
✅ Visible identity in the PDF signature
✅ Recognized by major software platforms
Attestation Level: 🔴🔴 Regulatory-Grade Identity + Trusted Root
Uses a certificate from a globally trusted authority (e.g., AATL, eIDAS):
Ideal for: Legal filings, cross-border agreements, regulated industries
✅ Automatically shows “valid signature” in Adobe
✅ Maximum technical and legal recognition
Attestation Level: 🟣 Human Witness + Legal Record
Adds a notary’s seal and verification:
Ideal for: Wills, deeds, powers of attorney, real estate
✅ Human and legal validation
✅ Full audit trail and recording
| Method | Proves Who? | Timestamp Included | Identity Verified | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Digital Signature | Maybe a person | Optional | ❌ | Low-risk approvals |
| Trusted Signatures Platform Seal | Trusted Signatures | ✅ Trusted time | ✅ Platform-level | Internal docs, confirmations |
| Timestamped Signature | Signer or platform | ✅ TSA timestamp | Depends | IP filings, compliance, contract timing |
| Customer-Named Certificate | A specific business | ✅ | ✅ Legal entity | B2B contracts, compliance |
| AATL / Qualified Signature | Verified org/individual | ✅ | ✅ Regulated ID | Regulated industries, legal filings |
| eNotary / RON | Witnessed by notary | ✅ | ✅ Notarized | Real estate, wills, affidavits |
Yes. Your PDF documents never leave your servers - only SHA-256 hashes are transmitted for signing, ensuring complete privacy and HIPAA compliance.
The green checkmark (✅) appears in Adobe Acrobat when a PDF has a valid, trusted digital signature, providing instant visual verification of document authenticity.
Yes. Our signatures comply with PDF standards and work in Adobe Acrobat, Foxit, and other major PDF viewers.
In early 2025, a mid-sized cybersecurity consultancy — let’s call them Sentinel Shield — was closing a complex multi-year services contract with a financial services firm. The deal included custom tooling, strict SLAs, and aggressive penalties for non-performance. To avoid delays, the contract was signed electronically using Trusted Signatures, Sentinel Shield’s new digital signing provider.
Months into the project, the relationship soured. The financial firm claimed that Sentinel Shield had failed to meet a critical milestone and threatened legal action. The firm’s legal team argued that the final version of the contract — the one that would have clarified the milestone’s due date — had never been signed.
But Sentinel Shield’s operations lead, Claire, knew better. She pulled the original signed PDF from their internal archive. Thanks to Trusted Signatures, the document wasn’t just electronically signed — it was sealed. The signature included a timestamp, a cryptographically verifiable certificate chain, and a PAdES-compliant signature that Adobe Acrobat immediately recognized as valid and unaltered. The green checkmark told the whole story.
Better yet, the PDF had a visible signature block showing the exact time it had been sealed and signed — three days after the client’s proposed version. The cryptographic digest matched the SHA-256 hash stored in their system, proving that no one had tampered with the document.
When Claire presented this evidence in a preliminary mediation session, the financial firm’s general counsel reviewed the document and conceded: the milestone language had, in fact, been updated and acknowledged by both parties. No litigation followed. The firms settled the dispute internally.
Savings? Well over $100,000 in legal fees and months of distraction. The hero? A single green checkmark in Adobe Acrobat. The enabler? Trusted Signatures’ enterprise-grade PDF digital signatures.