How to edit a PDF

What is a PDF?

A PDF is a type of digital document that is easy to share and print online. The acronym "PDF" stands for "portable document format.” It’s the gold standard for digital documents.

A PDF document ensures that the layout and colors of the document will remain exactly the same, no matter what device it's being displayed on. That makes it perfect for designers.

Why a PDF is the best digital formats?

PDF files are ideal for digital documents because they are difficult to edit.
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This is good for documents where the formatting is important, like e-books or contract documents. There are lots of programs out there that will teach you how to sign a PDF, but relatively few that will let you edit the PDF itself.
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In fact, it's almost impossible to edit PDF files without using a dedicated PDF editing software, like Adobe Acrobat Pro. But most of those PDF editing programs require expensive fees, which prevents most people from using them.

So how do you edit a PDF without a dedicated PDF editor software? Thankfully, there are some solutions out there.

Edit Your PDF

Here’s how you can easily edit PDF documents with Vectornator.

1. Open your file in Vectornator

First, open your PDF file in Vectornator. Tap Open, then select your file from the window.

2. Select what you want to edit

If you want to edit an object inside the PDF, just tap on it. Then, tap again to edit its contents. If you want to edit the document's text, you'll need to make sure that you’ve the correct font files saved on your device. If you edit a PDF's text box, but your device doesn't have the matching font saved, you'll have to change that text box to a system font that you’ve in order to save it.

3. Move objects in your document

If you want to move objects inside your PDF document, you might need to ungroup them.

Tap on the element you want to move. You should see a large letter "G" in the bottom right corner, indicating that the elements are grouped. Then, in the Arrange Tab, click the Ungroup button, or click Ungroup in the Quick Actions bar.

Now, your page should be made up of ungrouped elements. These will likely have a large letter "M" in the bottom right corner, indicating that the elements are masked. For this, simply select the element you want, and click the Unmask button in the Path Tab, or click Unmask in the Quick Actions bar.

Now, you should be able to move the element!

Exporting

Once you're done, use File > Export or (Command +E) to save the document as a new PDF. This will give you a drop-down menu of file types to which you can export. Choose PDF from the list. Then, you’ll have the option to merge all artboards in your document into PDF pages, or just the currently selected one. This will affect your file size, of course. Finally, you’ll be able to choose whether you want your PDF to use CMYK colors or the standard RBG. This means you can also use Vectornator to create PDF files from scratch!

How to Sign a PDF

But what if you just need to add your signature? Easy! You can use Vectornator for that too!

It can be difficult for many people to sign documents digitally. You don't want to go through the process of printing your document out, signing it physically, and then scanning it back into a digital form. Luckily, if you use Vectornator, you won't have to!

There are three ways to sign a PDF in Vectornator.

The first is probably the simplest. Sometimes the easiest way to sign digital documents is with a photo.

First, write your signature on a blank piece of paper. Then, take a photo of your signature and crop it so the image is barely bigger than your signature. You can then use your phone's photo app (or use a different program on your computer) to alter the contrast and color tone of the photo to be just a pure white background with your signature.
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Then, you'll have a photo version of your signature that can be used very easily in the future! If you're going with this method, then it's easy to sign a PDF in Vectornator. All you have to do is import the PDF as normal, then import the photo of your signature into the document.

The second way is even easier, and it’s not a feature that you’ll find on many software platforms!

You can use Vectornator’s Brush Tool to sign your name directly onto a PDF file!
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First, import your PDF file into Vectornator. Then, select the Brush Tool.
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Using either your finger, your Apple Pencil, or your other iPad stylus, sign your signature onto the PDF. This signature will be a vector element, which you can alter or resize as much as you want.

The first is probably the simplest. Sometimes the easiest way to sign digital documents is with a photo.

First, write your signature on a blank piece of paper. Then, take a photo of your signature and crop it so the image is barely bigger than your signature. You can then use your phone's photo app (or use a different program on your computer) to alter the contrast and color tone of the photo to be just a pure white background with your signature.
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Then, you'll have a photo version of your signature that can be used very easily in the future! If you're going with this method, then it's easy to sign a PDF in Vectornator. All you have to do is import the PDF as normal, then import the photo of your signature into the document.

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