Digitally Sign and Certify Mail Merge Output Files

AutoMailMerge plug-in for Adobe® Acrobat®

What is Digital Signature?
A digital signature is a cryptographic technique used to validate the authenticity of a digital document. A digital signature can be used to verify that a document was created by the person who claims to have sent it and that it has not been tampered with after it was signed. You need to have a digital ID in order to sign documents electronically. Digital IDs are issued by third-party security providers or the government.
What is Digital ID?
Similar to a passport in electronic form, a digital identity (digital ID) provides strong evidence that you are who you say you are when e-signing a document. Each digital ID is backed by a digital certificate issued by a trusted third party, such as a bank, government or established security authority, after thoroughly verifying your identity. Using a digital ID to authenticate your identity and apply a digital signature during the document signing process provides a higher level of assurance that you agreed to the terms listed and have authorized your signature on a specific document.
Why Sign Documents?
  • Provide authenticity and verification
  • Protect documents from unauthorized modifications
  • Increase customer confidence
  • Legal compliance
  • Better company image
Signing Documents with AutoMailMerge
AutoMailMerge plug-in for Adobe can automatically sign and certify output documents produced during mail merge process. The plug-in uses one of the user’s digital IDs installed on the computer to sign output PDF files. If an input PDF form has a signature field, then this field will be automatically signed with a visible signature. If a PDF form does not have a signature field, then an invisible signature field can be automatically added to the output documents and certified with digital ID making the signing process completely automated.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Introduction
If you want to have a visible digital signature added to the output PDF documents, then make sure to add a signature form field to the input PDF template. Please see the following tutorial for explantion how to add fields to PDF forms. If you do not need a visual signature, then no changes necessary to the input PDF form.
Edit AutoMailMerge Settings
You need to enable digital signature option in AutoMailMerge settings and select a digital ID. Start Adobe Acrobat and open a PDF form you are going to use for the mail merge via File > Open menu.
Select Plugins > Mail Merge… to open the Mail Merge dialog.
If you are using a new Adobe Acrobat interface, then you can locate Mail Merge menu here:
Locating new Adobe Acrobat menu
Please see the following page for a short video tutorial on how to locate Plugins menu in the new Adobe® Acrobat® interface.
If you are using a "classic" Adobe Acrobat interface (pre-2022), then you can locate Mail Merge menu here:
Usig classic Adobe Acrobat menu
Press Edit Settings button to access settings wizard.
Press Edit Settings button
Configure mail merge settings screen by screen ( see complete list of tutorials) until you arrive to Sing and Certify screen.
Enable Document Signing
Once you arrive to Sign and Certify screen, turn on Sign and certify output documents with digital signature option. Press Select Digital ID... button.
Turn on digital signature option
Select Digital ID
Select a digital ID from the My Digital ID's list of IDs installed on your computer and press OK button. If you do not have a digital ID then you will need to obtain one from a third-party provider.
Select digital ID
Digital ID overview will be displayed in the settings screen. This ID will be used to sign all output documents while using this mail merge settings configuration.
Select digital ID
Finalize Settings and Run Mail Merge
Press Next>> button to finalize the rest of the mail merge settings Press OK button on the main AutoMailMerge screen to run mail merge process. Please refer to other tutorials for instructions on how to run and configure mail merge jobs. Once you run mail merge, all output documents will be certified. If you open one of the output files in Adobe Acrobat, then you should see blue digital signature bar added to the top of the page view.
Select digital ID
Signing Reader Extended PDF Forms
It is possible to sign and certify Reader Extended PDF forms. Make sure to use File > Save As Other > Reader Extended PDF > Enable More Tools (includes form fill and save) menu in Adobe Acrobat when creating Reader-Extended PDF form.