FAQs

Answers to frequently asked questions about the Adobe Sign electronic signature tool.

General

Preparing & Sending Forms

Signing Forms

General

What forms can be signed through Adobe Sign?

Many different kinds of forms can be signed through Adobe Sign. There are 34 forms in Adobe Sign, and the number of forms is growing monthly. These include:

  • 4660 Authorization for Special Pay
  • 4660 Pre-Authorization Workflow
  • Additional Employment - Job Code 2403 Workflow
  • Position Management Action Form (PMAF)
  • Telecommuter Agreement
  • Temporary Telecommuter Agreement
  • Accounts Payable Invoice Processing Form
  • Petty Cash Audit Form
  • ITS VPN Access Request Form
  • Grade Change Form
  • Blanket Substitution Form
  • CMS Access and Compliance Form

If you have an idea for a new Adobe Sign form, please submit your request here

Is there training available on how to use Adobe Sign?

Yes. More training than you'll know what to do with. Here's what we'd suggest:

If you're new to Adobe Sign and need a general overview ...

Check out Adobe Sign's Getting Started page. This page provides self-guided resources and introduces you to the basics of Adobe Sign, from navigating the tool to creating and signing agreements.

You can also check out videos on Adobe Sign's Tutorials page, which includes video-based tutorials for beginner and advanced users.

If you'll be responsible for preparing and sending forms in Adobe Sign ...

sign up for an upcoming webinar or check out the training video for form preparers just like you!

If you need help understanding a specific Adobe Sign function ...

  1. Take a look at our CSUCI's Adobe Sign support page, which contains step-by-step instructions specifically designed for CSUCI employees and their most common interactions with Adobe Sign. We even have some handy tutorial videos!
  2. Visit the Adobe Sign tutorials website. It has articles, videos and other resources that can help you learn more about the tool and answer specific questions you may have about how to use it.

Who has a Adobe Sign account?

All University employees can use their myCI account to access Adobe Sign and to prepare and send forms from templates and view the forms they have previously sent or signed or that are awaiting their signature.

What is an “agreement”?

You will see the term "agreement" used to describe the document(s) you send and receive in Adobe Sign. Why call it an agreement? You can think of an "agreement" as a virtual inter-office envelope into which you’re placing your form and documents for routing. The agreement may contain one or more documents (like your form, form instructions, or multiple forms) to be routed to your recipients.

What is a “template”?

Templates in Adobe Sign are documents that can be used over and over again. For our purposes, templates are essentially forms that have been converted for use by multiple users, multiple times in Adobe Sign. Templates are used in conjunction with Workflows in Adobe Sign to create standardized routing and approval for commonly-used agreements.

What is a “workflow”?

A "workflow" is a way of specifying how an agreement is routed. Workflows enable form designers to pre-define roles of users who will fill out a form, and provide them up-front to the form sender. Each workflow in Adobe Sign requires at least 1 Template to be associated with it. Workflows are created & managed by Adobe Sign administrators in the Account > Workflow tab.

What is a “signer”?

A “signer” in Adobe Sign is anyone who has been assigned to provide information in a document. That information could be a signature or something else, such as an employee or department name, an effective date, a phone number, or any other information that needs input on a form.

What is the difference between electronic and digital signature? And which one do I use when creating an agreement in Adobe Sign?

For most transactions at CSUCI, electronic signature is sufficient. There are some special cases where digital signature may be required. Please review the Electronic and Digital Signature Authorization to learn about the differences between electronic & digital signature, and to understand the use cases for each.

I’ve got a question about Adobe Sign and I don’t see the answer here. Now what?

Don’t worry. We have lots of resources to help you. Still getting nowhere? Submit a Solution Center support ticket for help with Adobe Sign.

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Preparing & Sending Forms

Can all CSUCI employees access and send forms in Adobe Sign?

Yes. All CSUCI employees have access to the form templates in Adobe Sign through their Adobe Sign account and can prepare and send the forms as needed. Simply login to Adobe Sign and follow the instructions for preparing and sending a form.

Who is authorized to sign my form in Adobe Sign?

Whether an individual is authorized to sign a form is determined by your division’s existing signature authority policy. You do not need to have a Adobe Sign account to sign a document in Adobe Sign.

Can I use Adobe Sign for my own personal documents?

Not under your CSUCI account. Please restrict your usage of Adobe Sign through your account to only those forms that are designated for signing in the tool. If you like Adobe Sign and want to use it for personal documents, you will need to set up your own personal account with Adobe Sign.

I don't see the form to fill out when I select it in Adobe Sign. Where is it?

Preparing a form for signature in Adobe Sign is a two-step process. First, you must fill in the routing information and review the email message that will accompany the form. The second step, which occurs after you've clicked the "Send" button, is when you get to the form itself and begin filling it out. You will not see the form until you've completed the recipient information, including yourself as the first recipient (the form preparer), and then clicked "Send."

See the Preparing a Form page for more detailed instructions on how to prepare a form in Adobe Sign.

I don’t understand the form I’m filling out. Help!

Most forms have instructions that are either included with the form itself or attached as part of the Adobe Sign envelope. If the instructions do not answer your specific question, you can contact the form owner listed within the instructions. If you have a technical question about how to use Adobe Sign, please refer to the CSUCI Adobe Sign main page and the Resources page.

Can I attach a document in addition to the form I am preparing? If so, how?

Yes, if you are preparing a form, you can attach additional documents if needed for informational purposes. NOTE: for those using Workflows for routing a form, this option must be pre-configured in the Workflow settings by an Adobe Sign administrator.

To attach a document with your form, follow these steps:

  1. Begin the process for selecting, preparing and sending a form.
  2. In the "Files" section of the window, drag and drop any additional files to be sent to that window, or click the "Add Files" link to browse & select files.
  3. After you add your recipient information and review the email message, click the checkbox at the bottom of the window that says "Preview & Add Signature Fields"
  4. The attachment should now appear as a second document next to the form. When you send the envelope for signature, the additional document will be added at the end of the form.
    • You can also drag-and-drop to re-order the files that are being sent in the agreement.
  5. You can let recipients know you’ve added a background document to the form by including additional information in "Message" section.

Can I add a signer to a form in addition to the signers already included in the form?

Yes, with some caveats:

  1. It can only be done using a template (it is not possible to add additional signers ad-hoc using a Workflow); AND
  2. It must be done before the agreement is sent to one or more recipients (it cannot be done after an agreement has been sent out to recipients).

Some forms may have space for adding optional signers to accommodate approval needs of different division and departments across the University. If you need to add a signer to a form you're completing (in addition to the signer roles already included with the form), you'll need to both add a new recipient to the template, and add both signature and data fields to the agreement that will prompt the new recipient to fill and sign. We will provide a tutorial video in the near future.

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Signing

Can I assign signing responsibility to someone else?

Yes, but you will need to make sure the person to whom you are assigning your signature responsibility is authorized under your division's existing signature authority policy. If they are, follow these steps to assign the form to someone else for signature:

  1. Receive Email Notification
    • You will receive an email when you have been assigned to sign or provide other information on a form. The email should explain what form you’re reviewing and provide a link to open the document.
    • Click the “Review & sign” button in the email to open the form.
  2. Under the "Alternative Actions" drop-down menu at the top-left of the page, select "Someone else should sign"
  3. Provide the new signer’s email address, name and a reason for changing the signer.
  4. Click the button labeled "Delegate"
  5. You're done. The original sender of the form and the new signer will be automatically notified of the change.

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