How to send a PDF for signature
Sending a PDF for signature takes about two minutes: you upload the file, tell GSD who needs to sign, drop the fields where they sign, and hit send. Your signers get a link, sign in their browser, and you get the finished document back. No account or app required for the people you send to, and the Free plan covers 5 documents a month.
Send a PDF for signature in 6 steps
- Upload your PDF. Drag the file into GSD or pick it from your computer. Any standard PDF works — a contract, an offer letter, an NDA, a waiver. GSD reads the pages so you can place fields exactly where they belong.
- Add your signers. Enter each signer's name and email address. You can send to one person or many — add a client, a co-signer, a witness, or an entire approval chain. Each signer gets their own private link, so nobody sees anyone else's access.
- Drop the fields. Click to place the fields your document needs and assign each one to a signer: signature, initial, date, and text are the everyday ones. GSD also supports checkbox, dropdown, radio, number, and email fields when you need them. Each signer only fills in the fields assigned to them.
- Choose the signing order and options. Decide whether everyone signs at once (parallel) or one after another in a set order (sequential) — handy when a manager has to approve before it reaches the client. Then set any options you want: automatic reminders so you don't have to chase anyone, an expiration date on the envelope, and an access code for an extra layer of identity verification.
- Send it. Hit send and GSD emails each signer a secure link. They open it in any browser, type or draw their signature, fill in their fields, and submit — no account, no download, no app. It works just as well on a phone as on a laptop.
- Get the completed PDF. Once everyone has signed, you receive the finished PDF along with a tamper-evident audit trail and a Certificate of Completion. The audit trail records who signed, when, from which IP address, plus a SHA-256 hash that proves the document hasn't been altered since.
What each signer sees
From the signer's side, the experience is deliberately simple. They click the link in their email and land directly on your document — no signup form, no password to create. GSD highlights the fields assigned to them and walks them from one to the next, so they always know what to do. When they finish, they get a copy of the signed PDF for their own records, and you're notified that the document is done.
The options worth knowing about
| Option | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Parallel signing | Everyone signs at the same time | Mutual NDAs, group waivers, anything order-independent |
| Sequential signing | Signers go in a defined order | Approvals that flow up a chain before reaching the final party |
| Reminders | Auto-nudges signers who haven't acted | Time-sensitive deals where you'd rather not follow up by hand |
| Expiration | Closes the envelope after a set date | Limited-time offers or quotes that shouldn't linger |
| Access code | Requires a code before signing | Sensitive documents that need extra identity verification |
Sending the same document to lots of people
If you need to send the same form to dozens or hundreds of recipients — think onboarding paperwork or event waivers — you don't have to build each one by hand. Save the document as a template so the fields are already placed, then reuse it whenever you need it. On the Business plan you can also bulk send from a CSV, so a single file of names and emails goes out as individual envelopes to everyone at once. See the pricing page for what's included on each plan.
Why it holds up later
A signature is only as good as the record behind it. Every document you send through GSD comes with a Certificate of Completion and a full audit trail, capturing each signer's name, email, timestamp, and IP address, sealed with a SHA-256 hash so any later tampering is detectable. If you ever need to demonstrate that a document was signed, by whom, and that it hasn't changed, that evidence is built in. For a deeper look at what makes that record stand up to scrutiny, read what makes an audit trail court-admissible.
Ready to send your first document? Create a free GSD account — it takes a minute, your first 5 documents a month are on us, and there's no card required to start.