New Features

Please refer to the SecurSign User Guide for additional information.

SecurSign 5.0

2048-bit certificates are now supported.

You now have the ability to specify a font to use when signing a document.  The fonts need to be placed in Font directory which can be found in the appligent_home directory.  On Windows, the location is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Appligent\APDFLX.X.X\Resource\Font.  On Unix the location is /usr/local/appligent/APDFLX.X.XResource/Font. Font names are not always the name of the file. The option -listfonts will return a list of all available fonts SecurSign can use for signing a document.

-verify: Used to determine the integrity of all of the digital signatures applied to the PDF document.  Also, determine if the file has been modified by appending information to the end of the file after the document has been digitally signed.

-printcert: Print Certificate Information during signature verification.

The default_seal.pdf no longer needs to be in the current working directory.  You can place the default_seal.pdf in appligent_home, put it in the current working directory or specify on the command line the full path to where default_seal.pdf resides on your system.

SecurSign 4.0

Apply 128-bit AES or 256-bit AES encryption to PDF documents; the latest and most secure Adobe Acrobat standard encryption mechanism, fully compatible with Adobe Acrobat 9.x.

Utilize PDFs as secure envelopes; apply 256-bit AES security to PDF and non-PDF file attachments while leaving the PDF itself unencrypted.

-rc4: Encrypt using the RC4 cryptography algorithm

-aes: Encrypt using the AES cryptography algorithm

-keylength <int>: Key Length. Valid options are 40, 128 & 256. Default is 128.

If a file has been encrypted with AES 256, the file can only be opened under Acrobat 9 or you will receive the message “There was an error opening this document.   Acrobat cannot decrypt the document”. When viewing the Document Information on a file that is set with AES 256 encryption, the PDF Version will be set as 1.7, Adobe Extension Level 3.

-onlyattach: Encrypt attachments only using AES.  -onlyattach also requires the following flags on the command line:  -userpass <Password>, -ownerpass <Password>, -aes –keylength 128 or 256

New Adobe PDF Library-Powered Features

-nomod: Retain current file modification date

-optimize: Combine -flate, -rascii, -nolzw, -optxobj, -optcontent and -optfonts

Please note: PDF files support the use of multiple types of compression simultaneously. Object level compression is a technique developed by Adobe to reduce the size of PDF files. Object level compression is used in addition to the other compression mechanisms used within the PDF file. Object level compression will reduce the file size typically by 2%. The limitation of Object level compression is, this compression mechanism is not always understood by older versions of Acrobat or third party PDF viewers or procession tools.

To use object level compression, use -comp. This flag will apply object level compression,  typically reducing file size by 2%.

To not use object level compression, use, -nocomp. This flag will not add object level compression and will remove object level compression, if found; resulting in a document that is compatible with all versions of Acrobat.

To create a document that is ISO 32000 compliant, use -iso32000. This flag will do the following: Set file for ISO 32000 compliance, resulting in a document that is PDF version 1.7.

SecurSign 3.0

Use a custom seal for visible signatures in place of the default seal supplied with SecurSign. The custom seal can be any graphic file — a company logo or a “handwritten” signature, for example — as long as it is in PDF format.

Adjust the font size and position of the signature text to achieve the best fit with whatever seal you use.

Apply a visible signature to any PDF file, whether or not it contains a form field. You can create a signature field in a document and simultaneously apply a visible signature to it, or leave the field blank and add a signature later.

Known Issues

Security

If an input file has a user password set, the user password is copied over into the new output file even if -userpass <Password> is not supplied on the command line.  

New signature fields may not be placed correctly on rotated pages

New signature fields should be placed horizontally on the bottom-left of the page, but on some rotated pages they are placed vertically on the bottom-right of the page. The following substitutions might correct this problem:

• For the -top option, use the page width minus the value you would normally use for the -left option.
• For the -bottom option, use the page width minus the value you would normally use for the -right option.
• For the -left option, use the value you would normally use for the -bottom option.
• For the -right option, use the value you would normally use for the -top option.

Default seal must be in working directory

A copy of default_seal.pdf must be in the working directory, even if you are not using it. This file is supplied with SecurSign. During installation, it is placed in the directory that contains the SecurSign application.

Cropped seal files may not display properly

If your custom seal is a cropped file, it may not display properly in the signature field. If so then, remove the cropping from the seal file before using it as part of a visible signature.

Placement of new signature field based on uncropped page size

SecurSign ignores any cropping of the input PDF file when adding a signature field to the file. The field is placed with respect to the lower-left of the uncropped page, not the cropped page. The user guide contains an example that shows how this might affect the values you choose as coordinates when you define a signature field. (See the first example under Placing a Visible Signature in a New Field.)

Name omitted from visible signature if not specified

The signer’s name is included in a visible signature only if it is specified using the -name option. This option does not default to the name on the digital certificate. However, the name on the certificate is used as the default for invisible signatures applied by SecurSign. Invisible signatures can be viewed in the Signatures pane of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.

Signature text does not wrap

The signature text does not wrap to fit the field; it is cropped instead. To make all of the text fit in the field, try adjusting the -font and -offset options. If you are creating a new field, you can also try increasing the width of the field to accommodate the text.

Signatures do not work with Adobe Forms Designer

SecurSign cannot sign form fields created with Adobe Forms Designer because they are not actually PDF files which use the AcroForms technology. Use form fields created with Acrobat, or create your own signature fields using SecurSign.

If Signature text does not display properly

If the signature text fails to display fails to display properly; check to make sure that your page is not rotated. A rotated page can make the signature field appear to be rotated.  Also try adjusting the size of the signature field.

To Get Help

Documentation for SecurSign can be found at /secursign/.

Contact technical support by:

emailing support@appligent.com, or calling 610-284-4006

Please provide the following:

Product name and version number
Operating system
Your name, company name, email address, and phone number
Description of your question or problem

Responses are typically emailed within one business day.