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As PDF documents become increasingly popular in business, ensuring their authenticity has become a key concern. Signing PDFs with a certificate-based signature can protect the content and also let others know who signed or approved the document. In this article, you will learn how to digitally sign PDF with an invisible or a visible signature, and how to remove digital signatures from PDF by using Spire.PDF for .NET.
- Add an Invisible Digital Signature to PDF
- Add a Visible Digital Signature to PDF
- Remove Digital Signatures from PDF
Install Spire.PDF for .NET
To begin with, you need to add the DLL files included in the Spire.PDF for.NET package as references in your .NET project. The DLLs files can be either downloaded from this link or installed via NuGet.
PM> Install-Package Spire.PDF
Add an Invisible Digital Signature to PDF
The following are the steps to add an invisible digital signature to PDF using Spire.PDF for .NET.
- Create a PdfDocument object.
- Load a sample PDF file using PdfDocument.LoadFromFile() method.
- Load a pfx certificate file while initializing the PdfCertificate object.
- Create a PdfSignature object based on the certificate.
- Set the document permissions through the PdfSignature object.
- Save the document to another PDF file using PdfDocument.SaveToFile() method.
- C#
- VB.NET
using Spire.Pdf;
using Spire.Pdf.Security;
namespace AddInvisibleSignature
{
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
//Create a PdfDocument object
PdfDocument doc = new PdfDocument();
//Load a sample PDF file
doc.LoadFromFile("C:\\Users\\Administrator\\Desktop\\sample.pdf");
//Load the certificate
PdfCertificate cert = new PdfCertificate("C:\\Users\\Administrator\\Desktop\\MyCertificate.pfx", "e-iceblue");
//Create a PdfSignature object
PdfSignature signature = new PdfSignature(doc, doc.Pages[doc.Pages.Count - 1], cert, "MySignature");
//Set the document permission to forbid changes but allow form fill
signature.DocumentPermissions = PdfCertificationFlags.ForbidChanges Or PdfCertificationFlags.AllowFormFill
//Save to another PDF file
doc.SaveToFile("InvisibleSignature.pdf");
doc.Close();
}
}
}

Add a Visible Digital Signature to PDF
The following are the steps to add a visible digital signature to PDF using Spire.PDF for .NET.
- Create a PdfDocument object.
- Load a sample PDF file using PdfDocument.LoadFromFile() method.
- Load a pfx certificate file while initializing the PdfCertificate object.
- Create a PdfSignature object and specify its position and size on the document.
- Set the signature details including date, name, location, reason, handwritten signature image, and document permissions.
- Save the document to another PDF file using PdfDocument.SaveToFile() method.
- C#
- VB.NET
using System;
using System.Drawing;
using Spire.Pdf;
using Spire.Pdf.Security;
using Spire.Pdf.Graphics;
namespace AddVisibleSignature
{
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
//Create a PdfDocument object
PdfDocument doc = new PdfDocument();
//Load a sample PDF file
doc.LoadFromFile("C:\\Users\\Administrator\\Desktop\\sample.pdf");
//Load the certificate
PdfCertificate cert = new PdfCertificate("C:\\Users\\Administrator\\Desktop\\MyCertificate.pfx", "e-iceblue");
//Create a PdfSignature object and specify its position and size
PdfSignature signature = new PdfSignature(doc, doc.Pages[doc.Pages.Count - 1], cert, "MySignature");
RectangleF rectangleF = new RectangleF(doc.Pages[0].ActualSize.Width - 260 - 54, 200, 260, 110);
signature.Bounds = rectangleF;
signature.Certificated = true;
//Set the graphics mode to ImageAndSignDetail
signature.GraphicsMode = GraphicMode.SignImageAndSignDetail;
//Set the signature content
signature.NameLabel = "Signer:";
signature.Name = "Gary";
signature.ContactInfoLabel = "Phone:";
signature.ContactInfo = "0123456";
signature.DateLabel = "Date:";
signature.Date = DateTime.Now;
signature.LocationInfoLabel = "Location:";
signature.LocationInfo = "USA";
signature.ReasonLabel = "Reason:";
signature.Reason = "I am the author";
signature.DistinguishedNameLabel = "DN:";
signature.DistinguishedName = signature.Certificate.IssuerName.Name;
//Set the signature image source
signature.SignImageSource = PdfImage.FromFile("C:\\Users\\Administrator\\Desktop\\handwrittingSignature.png");
//Set the signature font
signature.SignDetailsFont = new PdfTrueTypeFont(new Font("Arial Unicode MS", 12f, FontStyle.Regular));
//Set the document permission to forbid changes but allow form fill
signature.DocumentPermissions = PdfCertificationFlags.ForbidChanges | PdfCertificationFlags.AllowFormFill;
//Save to file
doc.SaveToFile("VisiableSignature.pdf");
doc.Close();
}
}
}

Remove Digital Signatures from PDF
The following are the steps to remove digital signatures from PDF using Spire.PDF for .NET.
- Create a PdfDocument object.
- Get form widgets from the document through PdfDocument.Form property.
- Loop through the widgets and determine if a specific widget is a PdfSignatureFieldWidget.
- Remove the signature widget using PdfFieldCollection.RemoveAt() method.
- Save the document to another PDF file using PdfDocument.SaveToFile() method.
- C#
- VB.NET
using Spire.Pdf;
using Spire.Pdf.Widget;
namespace RemoveSignature
{
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
//Create a PdfDocument object
PdfDocument doc = new PdfDocument("C:\\Users\\Administrator\\Desktop\\VisiableSignature.pdf");
//Get form widgets from the document
PdfFormWidget widgets = doc.Form as PdfFormWidget;
//Loop through the widgets
for (int i = 0; i < widgets.FieldsWidget.List.Count; i++)
{
//Get the specific widget
PdfFieldWidget widget = widgets.FieldsWidget.List[i] as PdfFieldWidget;
//Determine if the widget is a PdfSignatureFieldWidget
if (widget is PdfSignatureFieldWidget)
{
//Remove the widget
widgets.FieldsWidget.RemoveAt(i);
}
}
//Save the document to another PDF file
doc.SaveToFile("RemoveSignatures.pdf");
}
}
}
Apply for a Temporary License
If you'd like to remove the evaluation message from the generated documents, or to get rid of the function limitations, please request a 30-day trial license for yourself.
Encrypting PDF is a way people commonly used to protect PDF. Whether for a company or for individual, using PDF encryption to place some certain restrictions is indispensable. In order to make the PDF document available to read but unable to modify by unauthorized users, two passwords are required for an encrypted PDF document: owner password and user password. This section will particularly introduce a simple solution to quickly encrypt PDF with C#, VB.NET via Spire.PDF for .NET.
Spire.PDF for .NET as a .NET PDF component, can encrypt your PDF by owner and user password. Owner password is provided to fully access to PDF file such as reset password and restrictions. While user password allows users to open the document as well as subject to the restrictions placed by owner.
In the encryption solution, an object of the PDFSecurity class which is included in the namespace Spire.PDFDocument.Security is used to set the owner and user password. Please feel free to download Spire.PDF for .NET and load your PDF file and then protect it.
Protect PDF by setting password and specify document restrictions.
Step 1: Set PDF key size by the enum."Spire.Pdf.Security.PdfEncryptionKeySize".Three kinds of key size are available here: Key128Bit, Key256Bit and Key40Bit, you can use any one among the three.
doc.Security.KeySize = PdfEncryptionKeySize.Key256Bit;
doc.Security.KeySize = PdfEncryptionKeySize.Key256Bit
Step 2: Encrypt PDF file by setting owner and user password. The password size you set should not be over the key size.
doc.Security.OwnerPassword = "e-iceblue"; doc.Security.UserPassword = "pdfcomponent";
doc.Security.OwnerPassword = "e-iceblue" doc.Security.UserPassword = "pdfcomponent"
Step 3: Specify access restrictions of user password. There are nine permissions are available in the solution. You can see them as below picture.

doc.Security.Permissions = PdfPermissionsFlags.Print | PdfPermissionsFlags.CopyContent;
doc.Security.Permissions = PdfPermissionsFlags.Print Or PdfPermissionsFlags. CopyContent
After running your project, you will be requested a password when you open this encrypted PDF file. Please look at the effective screenshot below:

Introduction
A Marker Designer represents a single data point or value that gives a mean to Spire.XLS to place relevant data into different cells of the worksheet in a workbook. We make use of Designer spreadsheets in which we write marker designers into different cells. Normally a marker designer consists of DataSource and a Field Name and starts with "&=". The DataSource can be a DataSet, DataTable, DataView or an Object variable etc. You can also make use of dynamic formulas that allows you to insert MS Excel's formulas into cells even when the formula must reference rows that will be inserted during the export process. Moreover, you may calculate totals and sub totals of any data field too.
Marker designer is a way to let Spire.XLS know that what information you wish to place in an Excel designer spreadsheet. Marker designers allow you to create templates that contain only relevant information and are formatted to meet your needs.
Designer Spreadsheet and Marker Designers
Designer spreadsheets are standard Excel files that contain the visual formatting, formulas and marker designers. They can contain marker designers that reference one or more data sources such as information from a project and information for related contacts. Marker designers are written into cells where you want information to be filled in.
All marker designers start with "&=", without the quotes. An example of a data marker is &=Party.FullName. If the data marker results in more than one item, i.e. row then following rows will be moved down automatically to make room for all of the new information. Thus sub-totals and totals can be placed on the following row after the data marker to make calculations based on inserted data. In order to make calculations on the rows that are inserted, you must use Dynamic Formulas.
Marker designers consist of the Data Source and Field Name parts for most information. Special information may also be passed with variables and variable arrays. Variables always fill only one cell whereas variable arrays may fill several ones. You may only use one data marker per cell. Unused marker designers will be removed.
Marker designer may also contain parameters. Parameters allow you to modify how the information will be laid out. They are appended to the end of marker designer in parenthesis as a comma separated list.
Marker designer Options
&=DataSource.FieldName &=[Data Source].[Field Name] &=VariableName
Formulas
Formulas allow you to insert Excel's formulas into cells even when the formula must reference rows that will be inserted during the export process. And they can repeat for each inserted row or use only the cell where the data marker is placed for it.
If value of a cell referred to other cells, such as (copy:rc6), it means the value of the cell will be referred by cells of column 6. Multiple refer can be used like this: (copy:rc5,copy:rc7).
Note: Separate them with comma
Cell "G6" contains the formula = D6*E6, cell "G7" contains = D7*E7 and cell "G8" contains = D8*E8, etc.
The following illustrates a repeating dynamic formula and the resulting Excel worksheet.

Result:

Sum and Subtotal
Below is showing you how to use these 2 formulas:

Result:

Code:
Workbook workbook = new Workbook();
workbook.LoadFromFile(@"..\..\..\..\..\..\Data\MarkerDesignerSample1.xls");
DataTable dt = (DataTable)dataGrid1.DataSource;
Worksheet sheet = workbook.Worksheets[0];
//fill parameter
workbook.MarkerDesigner.AddParameter("Variable1", 1234.5678);
//fill DataTable
workbook.MarkerDesigner.AddDataTable("Country",dt);
workbook.MarkerDesigner.Apply();
//AutoFit
sheet.AllocatedRange.AutoFitRows();
sheet.AllocatedRange.AutoFitColumns();
workbook.SaveToFile("Sample.xls",ExcelVersion.Version97to2003);