When Signing My PDF The Signature is Too Light – 100% Fixed

Does your signature appear too light when you sign your PDF documents? This can be quite frustrating, and it may look very unprofessional, especially when you’re signing a very important document. This can be caused by a few common factors such as software issues, pen settings, and more. Fortunately, such issues can be easily fixed. In this guide, we will walk you through each cause and explain how to fix it.

Part 1. Why Is The Signature Too Light When Signing a PDF?

There may be various reasons why your signature is too light when signing a PDF document.

The most common are:

• Software Issues – Some PDF readers may not properly render images or graphics, which can lead to light or blurry appearance. Moreover, digital signature glitches can cause problems with resolution, making it look lighter than it should.

• Scanner or Camera Issues – Poor lighting conditions or the quality of the camera can lead to a low-resolution picture and blurred signature.

• Pen Settings – Sometimes the default settings such as opacity, transparency, or pen thickness may not be set correctly, making the stroke light.

• Compression Issues – Another common reason is problems with PDF compression. When saving a PDF, the quality of the file may downgrade, resulting in lower resolution and contrast.

Part 2. How to Fix The Signature is Too Light Issue When Signing a PDF?

In this section, we will go over the solutions for each issue that we described previously. Our team will show you various approaches to addressing these challenges.

Fix 1. Use an Alternative Way to Sign a PDF

If you’re having problems with your software, the best solution is to try an alternative tool to sign your document. One of the best alternative software is UPDF. It offers many different ways to sign a PDF such as a handwritten signature, adding images, or using the pen tool. What is more, UPDF allows users to sync their digital signatures to the cloud and use them on any device as long as they’re signed into the same account. Make sure to download UPDF to learn and follow the below steps.

Way 1. Via Handwritten Signature by Mouse

The first way of creating a signature in UPDF is creating a handwritten signature by using your mouse or a trackpad.

• Open the document you want to sign in UPDF and go to the “Comment” mode that you can select from the menu on the left.

• At the top, you will see various tools. Select the “Signature” icon. Then choose “Signature”, or if you want to create and save your signature in the cloud, select “Cloud Signature”. Then click “Create Signature”.

• Select the “Mouse” option from the dropdown. You can adjust thickness and color by clicking the icons on the right.

• Now you can draw your signature on the canvas. Once you are finished, click “Create” to save it. Now, you can click on the PDF to add the signature.

Way 2. Via Adding Images

Another way to create a signature in UPDF is by using an image. If you have your signature saved as an image, this will be a great solution for you. It would be ideal if your signature was signed on a white paper.

• Open the document you want to sign in UPDF and go to the “Comment” mode that you can select from the menu on the left.

• Choose “Signature” from the tools at the top and click “Create Signature”.

• Select “Photo” from the dropdown and choose your file.

• Import your file and use cropping tools to remove any unwanted areas. Then click “Crop”.

• Once you are finished importing your signature, click “Create” to save it and place where needed to add the signature to sign the PDF.

Way 3. Via Pencil

You can also write your signature by using pencil in UPDF.

• Open the document you want to sign in UPDF and go to the “Comment” mode that you can select on the left.

• Choose “Pencil” from the tools at the top, and adjust the color, thickness, and transparency if needed.

• Now you can draw your signature anywhere in your document.

UPDF has also plenty of other tools that you can use to edit your PDFs, add comments, and annotations, or convert files to other formats. We encourage you to check out this video where you can learn more about UPDF and why it is the best Adobe Acrobat alternative.

If you prefer reading, you can read more about UPDF here.   

Fix 2. Scan or Take a Picture of Your Signature Again

Another solution is scanning or taking a picture of your signature, and then, sign PDF with new signature again. If you add the signature to PDF before using the Adobe Acrobat on Windows or Mac, this time, you can try to use Adobe Acrobat on mobile. Here is the guide.  

• Open your PDF in the Adobe Acrobat Reader mobile app and click “Fill & Sign”. Click the “Pen” icon”. Click “Add Signature”.

• Select “Camera” and take a picture of your signature.

• If needed, crop the image by dragging the corners and click “Done”. Now, you can sign the PDF again with new signature.

Fix 3. Adjust Pen Settings

Sometimes all you need is adjusting your pen settings to fix the signature is too light issue when signing a PDF. Below you can see how to do it if you are using the Adobe Acrobat.

• To create your signature, open a document in Adobe Acrobat in the “Comment” mode. Then select the “Draw Freehand” icon.

• You will see the color icon and the thickness icon, where you can adjust the color and thickness of your pen. Adjust your settings and then draw your signature.

Fix 4. Add the Signature Again

If the signature is too light is your PDF, you can also try delete the old signature and create a new one to sign again. For those who is using Adobe Acrobat, here is the guide.

• To create your signature, open a document in Adobe Acrobat in the “Fill & Sign” mode. Then select “Add Signature”.

• Now you can choose one of the options such as “Type”, “Draw”, or “Image”. You can select “Type” to type your name.

• Click “Apply” to save your signature and place it where needed in your document.

Fix 5. Use Another Tool to Compress

If your signature looks blurry and low quality because of compression issues, we recommend you to try compressing the PDF file with UPDF. This could help you get a better-quality file.

• Open the document you want to compress in UPDF. Once your document is open in the software, you will see various tools. The compressing tool is in the right panel. Click the “Save as Other” icon and then select “Reduce File Size”.

• Now, you need to choose the compression level, which determines the quality of your file. There are 4 levels to choose from such as “Maximum”, “High”, “Medium”, and “Low”. You can choose “Maximum” if you want to compress your file but keep higher quality.

• After selecting the compression level, click “Save As” to save your file.

Fix 6. Restart Software and Computer

If the signature is too light when signing your document, it may be the problem of your software and computer lagging or bug issues. You can restart the software and computer to fix it. This will allow for the system to refresh and hopefully fix any issue it may have. Then, you can sign the PDF again and check if it is fixed.

Final Words

We hope that you now know what to do if the signature is too light when signing your PDF. Our team has carefully researched and provided comprehensive solutions to ensure your digital signatures look professional. With our tips, you will enhance the quality of your signatures. The most recommended way to use it is to use an alternative way to sign PDF. Here, we recommend using UPDF as it has all the methods for you to sign your PDF. And compared with other tools, it is much cheaper. You can upgrade and check its price here. To test the features of it, you can download the software now to simplify and speed up your workflow.