Add signature to PDF?

Running Big Sur 11.1 on Intel Retina MBA and as per the Help menu within Preview

Create and use signatures

To sign PDFs, you can capture your signature using your trackpad, the built-in camera on your Mac, or your iPhone or iPad.

1. In the Preview app on your Mac, click the Show Markup Toolbar button (if the Markup toolbar isn’t showing), then click the Sign button .
2. Follow the onscreen instructions to create and save your signature.

• Create a signature using your trackpad: Click Trackpad, click the text as prompted, sign your name on the trackpad using your finger, press any key, then click Done. If you don’t like the results, click Clear, then try again.
  • If your Mac has a Force Touch trackpad, you can press your finger more firmly on the trackpad to sign with a heavier, darker line.
  • Create a signature using your computer’s built-in camera: Click Camera. Hold your signature (on white paper) facing the camera so that your signature is level with the blue line in the window. When your signature appears in the window, click Done. If you don’t like the results, click Clear, then try again.
  • Create a signature using your iPhone or iPad: Click Select Device to choose a device (if more than one is available). On your device, use your finger or Apple Pencil (on iPad) to sign your name, then click Done. If you don’t like the results, click Clear, then try again.

1. Click the Sign button , then click the signature to add it to your PDF.
2. Choose the signature you want to use, drag it to where you want it, then use the handles to adjust the size.

If you use iCloud Drive, your signatures are available on your other Mac computers that have iCloud Drive turned on.

And the answer is that Preview will not permit you to integrate another PDF, or image into an existing open PDF document because it is not a PDF Editor. All it can add are annotations, of which you have stated your assessment of Preview's signature feature.

There are several PDF Editors (fee) in the Mac App Store that have free trials on their websites, but the trialware may restrict you from your goal, and it is best to contact the respective vendor support team to verfiy capability before purchase.

You can only insert an external PDF signature into an existing PDF with Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, or another PDF Editor that supports this feature. Preview is not a PDF editor, and will repulse any attempt to add an external PDF, or image into an existing open PDF file. The supported signature annotation facility of Preview is the intended approach, as signatures created in this manner can be added over the existing PDF content.

VikingOSX wrote:

So this raises the question, what image format is your signature if not the above that I tried, and how is it that Preview is allowing you to do this, or are you actually defaulting to another vendor's PDF editor, which would allow this.

As I recall, images format only applies to an image that has been saved; before then it's just an image on the screen

So I took a screenshot of a signature I had on my screen (it matters not what the original format of the saved signature was) using Command-Shift-4 and to copy that screenshot to the Clipboard, I pressed and held the Control key while I was taking the screenshot.

I then open any pdf file, hit Command-V to paste, and the image (in our example would be a signature) is added to the opened pdf file.

I've tested it again with a error message that was on the screen and pasted it three time into a PDF file:

Notice how not another living soul has admitted here that they can paste a clipboard image, or drag/drop an image into an existing PDF document, and not a new document from clipboard.

I just specifically created a new, blank PDF in LibreOffice 7 with no restrictions on document assembly. When I opened this PDF in Preview, and whether a screen capture, or drag and drop of an image onto the PDF, the Edit menu paste controls were dimmed, and all drag/drop operations were again rejected. Nothing has changed from what I have been saying all along.

When I downloaded the trial of PDFpenPro 12 (true PDF Editor), it allowed me to paste a screen capture from the clipboard, or drag and drop a random image onto the same blank Libreoffice generated PDF that Preview refused any clipboard or image addition too.

It still works with the camera. While in the PDF file bring up the Tools ➙ Annotate ➙ Manage Signatures menu option:

To this:

It still works as it did before.

On Big Sur 11.0.1, I have just attempted (and failed) to drag and drop Photoshop .psd, .gif, .png, .tif, .pdf, .jpg, .jp2, .eps, and a hand-coded .ps file onto an open PDF in Preview and it rejected all of them. I opened an image on a transparent background in Preview, and copied it to the clipboard, and when I went to paste it into the opened PDF, the Paste option was inactive in Preview.

So this raises the question, what image format is your signature if not the above that I tried, and how is it that Preview is allowing you to do this, or are you actually defaulting to another vendor's PDF editor, which would allow this.

On the iPhone go to Files icon and then Markup then + sign lower right and can see options to Add Signature. Once added it will be iCloud and should be available in Preview in Mac Mini

I'm so confused, because I've just copied and pasted in signatures into Preview documents many times!

Here's one I created just now:

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As you can see, I selected the signature, Command-C to copy it, then pasted (Command_V) it into the Preview document. I then reduced the side of the signature to fit in the gap.

What am I missing here?

Try copying and pasting instead of dragging. :-)

But I already have a scan of my actual signature.

So, make another with your camera and it should be available any time you need to use it in the future.

I want to insert that scan into a PDF. I am asking if that can be done with Preview.

You can't, as has been stated numerous times.