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Publication Date: 10/25/17 Page 1

Working with Digital Signatures

Where were changes made in the 6/23/2017 version?

1. Page 2 - Section was added regarding viewing headers and footers if in Read Mode or Web Layout.

"You also may not be able to view headers/footers (including the signature panel) if the document is in Read

Mode or Web Layout. To check, go to the View menu, and ensure you are in Print Layout"

Where were changes made in the 10/25/2017 version?

1. Pages 6-8 - Additional guidance was added regarding working with oversized documents (i.e. labels)
The CVB applies digital signatures to PDF and Microsoft Word documents as part of official regulatory 

correspondence. This User Guide explains the mechanisms behind digital signatures and provides tips for saving 

digitally signed documents for archive. 

Digital signatures perform two distinct functions: 

• Confirm the identity of the signer

• Ensure the document has not been not altered since signing

They have authenticity only in digital form because the authenticity of the signature is backed by a 

“certificate”. The text comprising a digital signature has no particular standing when printed on paper or when 

converted to another format (such as saving a MS Word doc as a pdf image). Always keep the original digital 

file for proof of authenticity. 

MS Word documents, if opened in a protected view, may not display digital signatures. If this happens, it is OK 

to click on the “Enable Editing” button to take the document out of protected view. The signature will then 

display.

Do not confuse Protected View with the Marked As Final view. If you click on Edit Anyway, you will 

remove the signature from the document. 

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Working with Digital Signatures

Publication Date: 10/25/17 Page 2

A word about digital signatures

Displaying the Signature

You also may not be able to view headers/footers (including the signature panel) if the document is in Read 

Mode or Web Layout. To check, go to the View menu, and ensure you are in Print Layout:
If there is no such banner, the validity of the signature may be checked by clicking on the Signatures button at 

the bottom of the document. It will look like one of the images below, depending on your version of MS 

Word. 

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Working with Digital Signatures

MS Word and Adobe Acrobat differ slightly in how to verify the signature. 

MS Word is more stringent, and no changes to the document are permitted without removing the signature. 

If the signature displays, the document has not been changed since it was signed. However, not all signatures

are valid (backed by a valid certificate of authenticity). Be sure to check the validity of the signature on any

documents received from the CVB. 

The document may open with signature validity information displayed in a banner across the top:

This opens a Signatures panel. Click on the down arrow next to a signature and select Signature Details. 

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Verifying the integrity of the signature/document 
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You can obtain additional information by clicking on the Signature Panel icon.

Unlike MS Word, however, Acrobat may allow certain types of changes to a signed document without 

removing the signature. For example, I added a solid white rectangle to my signed document, which obscured 

the last word in a sentence but the alteration was not immediately obvious on a white background. This was 

allowed because it was considered to be a “comment” feature and not a revision to text. The signature 

remained and was still considered “valid”. If there have been any changes, however, you will see Signature 

properties similar to that shown below:

Working with Digital Signatures

Adobe Acrobat 

Acrobat also will, by default, display a banner when you open a signed document.

Ensure that documents received 

from the CVB have not been altered 

in any manner whatsoever after 

signing. 

Publication Date: 10/25/17 Page 4

If you do not see a see a Signature Panel 

button, choose View > Show/Hide > 

Navigation Panes > Signatures. 

Likewise, you can right click on the 

signature itself to see Signature 

Properties. 
Submitters must save digitally signed CVB documents received via the portal because they are only retained in 

the portal for 60 days after submission completion. It is important to save the documents without converting to 

another document format (e.g., MS Word to pdf) so that the signature validity can continue to be verified. 

Saving Signed MS Word documents

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Working with Digital Signatures

Even performing a “Save As...” action on an open signed MS Word document is considered to be a change and 

will remove the signature. This can be avoided by renaming files and saving them to different locations while 

they are closed.

When downloading a document from the portal, users are given the option to Open or Save. Click on the down 

arrow next to Save and select Save As... This provides an opportunity to save the document to the location of 

your choice and to rename for the save. 

Once you have completed the save, open the document. The portal typically offers that option with the 

following bar that appears after saving: 

Publication Date: 10/25/17 Page 5

If you wish to rename or move a digitally signed MS Word document after its initial download, you can 

continue to do so with the closed document. Press E while holding down the Windows button to open 

Windows Explorer. Right-click on the desired document to obtain options to Cut/Copy/Rename.

Saving Signed Documents 
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Working with Digital Signatures

Saving Signed Adobe Acrobat documents

In contrast, Adobe Acrobat does not consider a “Save As...” operation to be a document change. PDF files can be 

renamed and moved with the document open or closed, without jeopardizing the signature or showing any 

changes to the document after it was signed. 

Converting “working copies” of signed Word documents to pdf

Firms should always maintain a copy of original signed Word documents for the validity reasons discussed above. It 

is permissible, however, to create a working copy of the signed document as pdf if there are features of Adobe 

Acrobat documents that make this working copy attractive. 

If you use the “Save as Adobe PDF” feature in Word, the digital signature will be removed altogether. 

To convert a Word document to pdf while retaining an image of the signature, use the following procedure. 

• Elect to print the Word document.

• Select “Adobe PDF” as the printer.

• When you hit the Print button, you will be prompted where to save the pdf document being created.

Nothing will actually print to paper.

Publication Date: 10/25/17 Page 6

If you are attempting to convert an oversized label submission, you will need to adjust the paper size settings 

to accommodate the larger page layout used in MS Word. There are different ways this can be done, and there 

are certain documents that seem to work better one way vs. the other. 

Go to the next page to see different methods.
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Working with Digital Signatures

Method #1:

After selecting Adobe PDF as the printer, adjust the paper size setting on the same screen. Then go to Page 

Setup. Set the Paper Source to OnlyOne, so the system is not expecting a tray with custom-sized paper.

Publication Date: 10/25/17 Page 7
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Working with Digital Signatures

Once in the Preferences screen, 

select Advanced Settings 

Method #2:

On the settings page, change the 

Default Page Size and save the 

setting as a file name you will 

remember: 

Publication Date: 10/25/17 Page 8

Go to the Acrobat menu in MS Word and select Preferences.
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Working with Digital Signatures

Publication Date: 10/25/17 Page 9

When you are done converting the oversized image, return your Conversion 

Setting to "Standard" so it will work with standard 8.5 x 11” paper again. 

If you wish to create a print copy of an oversized label document but do not have paper large enough to 

accomodate, first convert to pdf. You can then use the “Poster” option to print, which will allow you to assemble 

a print copy from multiple pages.

1. Open the pdf document in Adobe Acrobat and Print to the printer of your choice.

2. Select the Poster option within the Print settings. The document will then print on multiple letter-sized

pages in a manner that they can be assembled to form the oversized page

Printing an Oversized PDF document

Return to the Advanced 

Settings screen and click on 

the down arrow to change 

Conversion Settings from 

“Standard” to the file name 

you just created in the 

previous step (in the example 

this would be "Custom22x22").