Signature settings for the free Adobe Reader

The advantage of Aloaha PDF Suite digital signatures compared to competing products is the compatibility with the PDF Signature Interchange Standard. That allows Aloaha user to digitally sign once or multiple times any PDF Document. The signatures can be validated with any free Adobe Reader.
Digital Certificates to be used for signing with Aloaha can be stored in the Current User Store, Local Machine Store or can be read from a Smartcard with any PC/SC compatible Smartcard Reader.

How do I create a self-signing Certificate?

Adobe Reader 7
Open your Adobe Reader 7 and choose Document > Security Settings from the Adobe Reader Menu. A new window will open. There you choose “Windows Digital IDs” on the left side. From the top menu you choose “Add ID”. The “Add Digital ID” Wizard will ask you now some details for your Certificate. It is essential that in the first screen you choose “Create a Self-Signed Digital ID”. To make the new Digital ID accessible to 3rd party applications such as the Aloaha PDF Suite or Microsoft Office the certificate has to be stored in the “Windows Certificate Store”.


Adobe Reader 6
Open your Adobe Reader 6 and choose Document > Manage Digital IDs > My Digital ID from the Adobe Reader Menu. A new window will open. There you click “ADD” at the bottom. From the top menu you choose “Add ID”. The “Add Digital ID” Wizard will ask you now some details for your Certificate. It is essential that in the first screen you choose “Click here to create a self-signed Digital ID”.


Self-Signing Certificates created with the methods above can be also used in Microsoft Office or to sign and/or encrypt your private emails. 

How do I configure the Adobe Reader to validate signatures automatically?

Adobe Reader 7
In Adobe Reader 7 choose Edit > Preferences > Security from the Start Menu. Enable the check box “Verify signatures when the document is opened” and click the “Advanced Preferences” button at the bottom of the window.


Adobe Reader 6
In Adobe Reader 6 choose Edit > Preferences > Digital Signatures from the Start Menu. Make sure you click the “Advanced Preferences” button at the bottom of the window and configure the options there as well!

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