Signature Tags

Documents you send for signature with the Sign step get their signature fields from tags in the template. A tag is a simple text marker that marks where a field goes: a signature, initials, the date signed, or a value the signer fills in.

Adding Signature Tags

Add a text tag wherever a signer should sign or fill something in. For example, a lease with a signature block for the tenant and the landlord can look like this:

Tenant: {{ tenant_signature }}
Date: {{ tenant_date_signed }}

Landlord: {{ landlord_signature }}
Date: {{ landlord_date_signed }}

Signature Block Layout

You can place signature tags wherever they fit your document. A simple option is to put each signature on its own line. For side-by-side signatures, a useful pattern that keeps the layout aligned is:

  1. Use a Word table with no visible borders.
  2. Place each signature tag in its own cell, with an empty cell between signatures for spacing.
  3. Give the signature cells enough height, then add a bottom border to create the signature lines.
  4. If needed, add rows below the signature cells for things such as the signer name or dates signed.
  5. To stop a row from splitting across pages, select the whole table, open Table Properties and, on the Row tab, untick Allow row to break across pages.
  6. To keep the rows on the same page, select the top row, open the Paragraph settings and, on the Line and Page Breaks tab, tick Keep with next.
  7. If the block has a heading, repeat step 6 for the heading too, and do not leave empty lines between the heading and the table.

This example shows such a signature block with two signers:

{{ landlord_signature }}
{{ tenant_signature }}
Landlord: {{ landlord_name }}
Tenant: {{ tenant_name }}

Word Layout Tips

  1. Show the table cells while you work - open the Layout tab next to Table Design, then click View Gridlines. The dotted gridlines are only helpers and do not appear in the generated document.
  2. Keep enough room for the signatures - make sure the rows are tall enough to fit the signatures.
  3. Place signatures on the lines - set the signature cells' vertical alignment to Bottom, and in the Paragraph settings, set the spacing before and after to 0 pt.
  4. Avoid drawing the lines with Insert > Shapes because drawn lines do not move with the text.
  5. Fix a heading that does not stay with the signatures - this usually happens when you added lines by pressing Enter on the heading. Each new line copies the heading's Keep with next setting. When all these lines no longer fit on one page, Word stops keeping them together. To fix it, select the extra lines above the heading, open the Paragraph settings and, on the Line and Page Breaks tab, untick Keep with next.

Next Steps