Send a document for signature

How it works

1. 1

   Forward the email, document attached, to your ForwardThis address with some simple instructions, like "send the attached NDA to Dana Whitfield, dana@fairfieldhotels.com, for signature".

2. 2

   ForwardThis takes the attached file and builds the request, then stops and shows it to you: the document by its filename, and every signer with the exact email address the request will go to. Nothing has been sent at this point. As per your instructions it can use one of your saved templates instead of the attachment, put several signers in order, or prepare the request and leave it unsent for you to send yourself.

3. 3

   You say yes, and the signers get their request. There is no undo on this one and there cannot be: the moment it goes it is sitting in somebody's inbox, and cancelling afterwards stops the signing without recalling the email they already have. That is the whole reason ForwardThis asks first and shows you the recipients rather than trusting itself with them.

4. 4

   ForwardThis replies to confirm it is out for signature. Later forwards can ask who has signed. In SignWell, Docusign and Dropbox Sign they can also chase a signer, correct an address that turned out to be wrong, or cancel the request outright.

FAQs

How do I send a document for signature from an email?

Forward the email with the document attached to your ForwardThis address, with some simple instructions, like "send the attached NDA to Dana Whitfield, dana@fairfieldhotels.com, for signature". ForwardThis shows you the request first, with the file and every signer's address, and sends it once you say yes. The first time, you will need a free ForwardThis account with SignWell, Docusign, PandaDoc or Dropbox Sign connected - it takes about 30 seconds.

Can a signature request be unsent?

No. Once the request has gone, the signer has an email in their inbox and nothing can pull it back. SignWell, Docusign and Dropbox Sign can all stop the signing afterwards, and Docusign emails everyone a second time to say so, but none of that unsends the first email. This is why ForwardThis has no undo button here and shows you the document and the exact recipients before anything goes out.

Which signing apps does this work with?

SignWell, Docusign, PandaDoc and Dropbox Sign. The forward is the same in each: attach the document, say who signs, approve the request. What differs is what happens afterwards, and the answers below say which app does what.

Does it send the attached document, or only a saved template?

Either. Attach a PDF or a Word file to the forward and that file is what goes out for signature. Name one of your saved templates instead and it sends that, with the signers bound to the template's own roles and its fields prefilled from the email. Dropbox Sign also takes PowerPoint and Keynote files; anything more unusual needs saving as a PDF first.

Where does the signature actually go on the page?

An inbox cannot place a box on a page, so SignWell and Dropbox Sign add a signature page at the end of the document for the signers to use. Docusign lets the signer place their own signature, or you can give it a line of text that appears in the document and the box lands there. A template already carries its fields, so nothing needs placing at all.

Can it prepare the request without sending it?

Yes, and this is the safe version if you would rather press send yourself. Ask for a draft and the document is uploaded with its signers and left unsent: in SignWell and Docusign it waits in your account, PandaDoc leaves it as a draft document, and Dropbox Sign replies with a single-use link that opens its own request page with everything already loaded. Nobody is emailed either way.

Can it tell me who has signed, or chase them?

Yes to both, by forwarding another email and asking. All four apps can tell you the status of a document and who has signed it, and which are still waiting. SignWell, Docusign and Dropbox Sign can also send a reminder to whoever has not signed yet, though Dropbox Sign refuses one within an hour of the last. PandaDoc reads the status but cannot send a reminder, and cannot cancel a document either.

Isn't it easier to use the signing app's own Gmail or Outlook add-in?

If you live in one mailbox and one signing app, yes, and Docusign's add-ins are good. ForwardThis is for the rest: no add-in to install, any email app at all, four signing apps behind one address, and the same forward can do other work at the same time, like filing the signed copy or adding a task to chase it.