This new experience is enabled by default for individual accounts and enabled by an administrator for all other tiers of service. Multi-user accounts also have the option to enable a switch link that allows users to flip between the classic and new interfaces. While the new experience has a majority of the features that most senders use, it's not quite up to parity with the classic version.

The classic Send process is still available and will remain so until the experience is retired.

Send documents to collect signatures from one or more parties.

Overview

Adobe Acrobat Sign makes it easy to upload your documents, add fields, and send them to collect signatures.

This document describes the process of sending an agreement by adding and arranging files, adding and arranging recipients, and placing the signature fields. Depending on how your Acrobat Sign groups are configured, you may not have all the options exposed, and if using templates or configured files, you may not need to place fields. As you send more agreements, it's a good idea to be in communication with your administrator to recommend changing default values for some features or building templates to reduce the time in individual configurations.

Composing a new agreement is a four-phased experience that presents the sender with a step-by-step process that's easy to adopt.

Configure an agreement

Select the Send tab in the top navigation bar.

This automatically launches the first phase of the process, collecting the files for the agreement.
Select the correct group from which the agreement should be sent (if available). If the group selector is greyed out, then you only have access to one group.

The group selector remains active throughout the process of configuring the agreement, so you can always change the group. However:
- changing the group will discard all of your configurations, requiring you to start over.
- changing the group does not change the logo on the sender's screen. The subsequent emails and signing experience do use the correct logo for the group from which the agreement is sent.
Tip:
Groups provide access to templates and workflows so selecting the right group up front gives you access to your most commonly used documents. Additionally, groups define:

The default values populated in the composing process

Options available for the recipient when designing

The security of the document after the signature cycle is complete.

If you find that you are spending a lot of time configuring individual agreements in the same way, work with your group admin to establish proper default values where you can.
Drag and drop a file from your local system into the Add file field, or select the Choose files link. This opens the file picker.
Select the file you want to use in your agreement, either from your local system, your template library, or your Microsoft OneDrive synced drive.
- Selecting a file from your local system immediately advances the process to phase two.
- Using templates allows you to select multiple files.
  
  Select Confirm if you use templates to advance to phase two.
- Cloud storage allows you to select multiple files from a user's connected OneDrive account.
The second phase of composing the agreement is to complete or verify the agreement details and settings.

Start by ensuring all files are attached to the agreement and in the correct order.
Agreements with multiple files will combine all files into one PDF. The order in which the files are listed in the files field dictates the order in which they appear in the final PDF.

If more files are to be added, you can drag and drop them into the Add file field or select the Choose more files link to open the file picker.

Rearrange files by click-dragging the file to the correct position in the file list.
Verify or update the Agreement name.

The agreement name is initially populated with the name of the first file to be attached to the agreement.

This field can be edited to any value you wish by clicking into the field and typing.
Keep in mind that the agreement name is inserted into the subject line of the recipient email and is the most prominent field exposed on your Manage page.
Update the Message field.

The message field is populated into the body of the email sent to all recipients. This should be a global welcoming message, or set of instructions, or whatever you feel is best communicated to all recipients.
- Messages are limited to 10000 characters
- Enterprise and business tiers of service permit message text to use active links.
  
  The message text viewable on an agreement's E-Signing and Manage page contains clickable links.
  
  Link formats that automatically convert:
  
  Fully qualified URLs: https://adobe.com
  
  URLs containing the domain only: adobe.com
  
  URLs that include a path: adobe.com/foo
  
  URLs with query and hash parameters: adobe.com/foo?bar=1#baz
  
  Email addresses: echosign@adobe.com
  
  URL links open a new browser tab for the recipient when selected.
  
  Email links open a new email using the local system's email client. The To: field is populated with the email address automatically.
Configure the Agreement settings.
Depending on the nature of your agreements, you may or may not employ an agreement deadline.

If used:

The default lifespan of agreements is defined at the group level. If you must edit this value frequently, talk with your admin to see if the default can be adjusted.

The sender can modify this deadline during agreement composition (if group settings permit).

Deadlines can be modified on the Manage page by the original sender (if group settings permit).

Internal signers can be excluded from the deadline cancellation (if configured to do so in the group settings).

The agreement automatically expires once the deadline is crossed and cannot be signed or completed. A new agreement must be created.

Edit the Completion deadline by selecting the Agreement settings edit icon and picking a new deadline from the calendar.

Note:

All agreements expire after being in progress for 365 days if not completed. This expiration deadline cannot be modified or suppressed.
The reminder frequency defines the cycle when reminders are emailed to the current active recipients for your agreement.

The default reminder iteration is defined in the group settings.

A default reminder message can be configured in the group settings.

The default reminder can be edited during agreement composition (If permitted by group settings).

Reminders that trigger every day have a 10-day life cycle. All other reminders have a 60-day lifecycle. Reminder lifespans cannot be altered.

Reminder emails are sent at the same time of day the agreement is initially sent.

Reminders can be configured on the Manage page after the agreement is sent.

Recipients are only notified when they are the active participant in the agreement. They are not notified before or after (with the exception of the final notification containing the completed agreement PDF).

Edit the Reminder frequency by selecting the Agreement settings edit icon and picking a new frequency from the dropdown.
The password entered into this field is exclusively for viewing the PDF.

The password to view the final agreement PDF can be configured as a required field, an optional field, or a denied field in the group settings.

The password strength (number of characters and complexity) is defined in the group settings.

A default password value cannot be defined. It must be provided by the sender during agreement composition.

When added, this password is embedded into the PDF as a security parameter and can't be removed without the password.

The password is not stored anywhere in the Acrobat Sign system and cannot be recovered by support.

To set password security when viewing the agreement PDF, select the Agreement settings edit icon and type a password into the field.
The Language value indicates the localization for all Acrobat Sign template elements, like labels and instructions, in the recipient email and the e-signing page.

The default localization is defined in the group settings.

The default value can be edited (if group settings permit)

The localization language is a distinct setting from the user's UI settings. It's possible to have the group's UI language set to US English and the group's default signing language set to Japanese.

Edit the Recipient's Language by selecting the Agreement settings edit icon and picking a new language from the dropdown.

Note:

The selected localization is applied only to the template elements of the email and the e-sign page. It does not translate the agreement name or message provided by the sender.
Note:

Other options may be available in the Agreement settings section depending on how the account is configured or if integrated services are available (e.g., if the account is configured for e-Vaulting, there will be an option to enable the vaulting or not).
Phase three - Understand your signature cycle and add recipients.

The recipient section defines the signature cycle, the participants included in the agreement, how they are expected to interact with the agreement, and how they are represented in the agreement audit log. It's easier than it sounds, but it requires that you understand the signature flow you expect (e.g., customer signer > internal countersignature > internal approval by manager > certified recipient in provisioning).

Once you understand the signature flow, start adding recipients.
Define the signature flow - Sequential or Parallel.

The signature flow is dictated by the Recipients must sign in order checkbox.
- When checked, a sequential flow is observed. Recipients are notified one at a time as the agreement moves through the signature cycle of recipient records. The agreement is completed when the last recipient completes their action.
  
  Hybrid routing requires a sequential flow.
  
  Use a sequential flow if you aren't sure or feel like a hybrid flow might be needed.
- When the box isn't checked, a parallel flow is used. All recipients are notified simultaneously, and the agreement is completed once all recipients have signed.
Define your recipient record.

The recipient is defined in one row (a record) containing several configurable options. It's fine to use the same email in multiple recipient records (e.g., a family with three signers but shares the same email address). Acrobat Sign treats each recipient record as a unique participant.

To define the recipient:
- Provide the Email address of the recipient.
  
  As you type in the email address, a drop-down list will show the addresses in your address book that match what you typed. You can select an email from this list at any time to complete the address in the recipient field.
- Assign a Role. Roles provide context and clarity in the instructions to the recipient and on the audit report. Some roles limit the recipient activity (such as the Delegator roles, which can only delegate).
- Select the delivery method. Signature links can be delivered via Email or SMS to a smartphone—or both. Note that SMS delivery is a premium service and must be paid for in advance.
  
  If SMS is selected, the sender is required to provide the phone number for the recipient.
Note:

There are a few configurable controls that may insert a Name field into the record next to the email address. These fields may be required, and when they are, an asterisk is applied next to the field label to indicate the required status.
Define the Recipient settings.

The Multi-factor authentication setting allows the sender to specify which authentication method they want to apply for the recipient.
Only authentication options that are enabled in the sending group's configuration will be listed.

A private message can be included for the recipient. No other participants in the agreement can view another's private message.
Optionally add additional recipients and adjust their order.

If you have more than one recipient in your signature flow, add them by selecting the plus icon just underneath the recipient list.

Recipient records can be added as:
- Myself - Adds the sender as the next recipient record.
- Individual - One discrete recipient as identified by their email address.
- Group - Either a Recipient group or a parallel signature group (used to define hybrid signature flows).
- Electronic Seal - If the sender has access to place electronic seals, the option is visible and can be placed just as a human recipient would be.
- CC - This option adds a user as a CC'd participant. CC'd parties don't interact with the agreement; they are notified once it is completed.
Define each recipient record with an email, role, authentication method, and private message as needed.

A recipient record can be deleted by selecting the trash can on the far right end of the record.
Adjust the signature order as needed.

If you have selected a sequential signature flow, the numerical signing index is evident just before the Role selector in the recipient record.

To adjust the recipient record, use the up and down arrows to move the recipient record up or down in the recipient list. The signing index updates accordingly.

Note:

CC'd parties have no participation in the signature cycle. They are only notified when the agreement is completed.
Preview the agreement and add signature fields.

When all of the recipients are added, select the Preview & add fields button to open the authoring environment.

If you are using templates of documents with fields already configured, and you are confident that the field placement properly maps to your recipient list, you can select Send now to send the agreement immediately.
Phase four - Authoring

Note:

Adding fields to a document (authoring fields, or simply "authoring") is a more complex topic than the scope of this article permits. The below is a condensed version of the process.
The click-and-place authoring environment automatically attempts to detect fields and place them intelligently. The relative success of this process is dependent on the underlying document structure.
- All placed fields are text fields by default.
- All placed fields are assigned to the first recipient by default.
- It's likely that there will be some fields that need to be deleted, moved, resized, reassigned, or changed to a new field type.
Start by cleaning up any auto-placed fields, then place new fields as needed.

Delete unwanted fields.
1. Click into the field to trigger the context menu.
2. Select the delete icon.
Move any fields that need to be repositioned.

Hover your pointer over the field until you see the four-point arrow, and then click-drag the field into position.

Resize fields as needed.

Select the field, hover over any edge or corner until you see the two-point arrow, and then click-drag the edge of the field to the desired field size.

Change the field's recipient assignment (when there are multiple recipients).

The Adobe Sign system must know which fields to make available to the recipients. This is done by assigning each field to a recipient (or Anyone, but you must explicitly identify Anyone as the recipient). As mentioned, auto-detected fields are all assigned to the first recipient.
Notice that the fields for each recipient are color-coded to that recipient, making field identification easier.
- Opening the recipient list in the top-left corner shows all recipients with their color-coded dot next to their email.
- The selected recipient field displays their color in the frame around the recipient's name/email address.
- The fields listed in the left-hand panel adopt the color (slightly faded) of the selected recipient.
Change the field type as needed.

Given all auto-detected fields are Text fields, you may need to change some fields to Signature fields.
Place any fields that are required.

Make sure that all of your recipients who need to apply a signature on the document have a signature field assigned to them.

To place a field:
1. Select the correct recipient from the recipient selector.
2. Select the field to be placed from the list of fields in the left-hand panel. E-signature in this case.
3. Click on the document where you want to place the field.
4. Adjust the field placement and size as needed.
5. Select the next recipient and place repeat the process until all fields are placed.
Tip:

Ad hoc form creation each time you send an agreement can be time-consuming.

If you have boilerplate documents you send often, it's a good investment of time to carefully build library templates to eliminate the authoring process during agreement creation.

Templates can be created from sent agreements on the Manage page.
Save or Send the agreement.

Saving the agreement saves all of the field configuration and stores the agreement in a Draft state on your Manage page.

Sending the agreement starts the signature process by emailing the first recipient (or all recipients if a parallel signature flow was selected).

Tip:

You can use the Back button to return to the Compose page and adjust the files that have been added to the agreement, the email addresses of the recipients, and their authentication methods.