Signing example
Freelance contract e-signature
A freelance contract e-signature usually needs exactly one signer: the client, because the freelancer wrote and sent the offer. This page shows the brand identity agreement from the documents examples signed that way, with the client initialling the fee table, typing an optional purchase order reference, and the certificate of completion explained field by field so a freelancer knows what they are holding.
The document itself is written out in full on its own page:read the wording there. This page is only about signing it.
Who signs what
- Rosa Vandermolen, for Sunday Grain Bakery
- Initials beside the fee table on page 1 · Signature block: Name, Company, Date · Purchase order or reference, optional · Email link
The signing journey
Step 1
Three fields, one signer
The designer uploads the two page agreement and gives the client an initials spot pinned to the fee and payment table, a signature block headed FOR SUNDAY GRAIN BAKERY PTY LTD, and an optional reference field. Sending it is the designer's offer; the client's signature makes the agreement.
Step 2
One drawing fills both marks
Rosa opens the link, accepts the consent gate, and draws once. The portal walks her from the fee table initials to the block with the Signature n of 2 header, fills both from the one drawing, and she types the company line and a reference, SGB-2026-BRAND.
Step 3
The date line stamps itself
The block's Date line prints Sep 2, 2026 from the moment she submits, which is also the moment the agreement's own clause says the offer became an acceptance.
Step 4
Two files come back
The completion email carries the certified PDF to Rosa and the designer. From the status page the designer also downloads the certificate of completion as its own A4 PDF, which is the file this page reads line by line below.
Reading the certificate, section by section
The ENVELOPE section carries the envelope id, the sent and completed instants in UTC, the signer count, the certification algorithm line, and two hashes: the document as sent and the fully signed file before certification. The SIGNERS section gives Rosa's verification method as Email link, her signing time, IP address, consent timestamp with its version, the document hash at her signing, and the hash of her signature image. The EVENT LOG lists this envelope's seven events from Envelope created to Signed, each timestamped and chained.
What the two hashes are and are not
The hash as sent proves what document went out; the fully signed hash proves what the stamped file contained before the certification seal was applied. Neither is the checksum of the file you download, which is sealed after both were computed, so do not try to match them against a download by hand. The seal itself is what a PDF reader verifies.
How to adapt this envelope
A freelancer who wants their own signature on the file joins as a second recipient, usually signing first so the client executes last. A retainer with a monthly fee table works identically, with the initials pinned to whatever table the money lives in. The optional reference field earns its place with commercial clients whose accounts teams match everything to a purchase order.
What makes this signing flow work
The fee table carries the client's own mark
The initials sit beside the staged payment table, so the numbers most likely to be disputed have the client's mark directly against them. A later conversation about the second instalment starts from a page she initialled, not from memory.
Two separate files, two separate jobs
The signed agreement is the contract; the certificate is the evidence about how it was signed. Because they are separate downloads, the freelancer can hand the certificate to an accountant or adviser without also handing over the contract's terms.
The algorithm line tells the truth
The certificate prints PAdES-SHA256-DocMDP with no timestamp suffix, which is the honest statement that the file is certified against change but carries no RFC 3161 token in the current setup. Reading that line correctly is worth more than assuming.
Questions people ask
What exactly is on the certificate of completion?
Three sections. ENVELOPE: id, sent and completed times, signer count, the algorithm line and two document hashes. SIGNERS: verification method, signing time, IP, consent record and hashes for each signer. EVENT LOG: every recorded event with its UTC timestamp and the signer it belongs to.
Are the certificate's hashes the checksum of my download?
No. One is the file as sent and the other is the stamped file before the certification seal was applied, so neither will match a checksum you compute over the downloaded PDF. Verify the download by opening it in a reader and checking the certification, not by comparing hashes by eye.
Is the signature timestamped by an authority?
Not in the current setup. The algorithm line reads PAdES-SHA256-DocMDP with no timestamp suffix, meaning no RFC 3161 token is attached. The signing times you rely on are the ones recorded in the certificate and the hash chained event log.
Can the client sign on a phone?
Yes. The agreement renders in the portal, and on a small screen the typed fields move into a panel above the read-only pages. One finger drawn signature still fills both the initials and the block.
Should the freelancer sign too?
Only if you want your signature on the face of the document; add yourself as a recipient before sending. Here the agreement is written in the first person and states that the client's signature turns the sent offer into a contract, so one signer was the honest shape.
Can the certificate be attached to the signed PDF?
Yes. An Include certificate checkbox in the prepare panel, off by default, appends the certificate pages to the signed file before certification. This envelope kept them separate so the contract could travel without its evidence bundle.
Build your own in about a minute
The button below opens the generator with this use case already described. Change the wording to match your own, generate, then edit anything you like.
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Want the steps in the builder? Read Send a PDF for e-signature, then Send a document for signature. For everything this generator can do, see the signing flow maker.
Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .