How to send a document for signature in under 5 minutes

You can send a PDF for signature on Inkpacket in the time it takes to refill a mug — if the file is ready and you know the signer’s email. This walkthrough is the one-off path: upload, place fields, send. It does not assume Resend or Stripe keys. Workspaces start on Free; billing is published, not charging. If you already have an account, sign in. If you do not, open a workspace.

If you need the category explanation first, start with what electronic signature software is. If the envelope is already out and you need to void, correct, or resend, skip to envelope admin.

What you need before the clock starts

• A PDF that is actually the document you want signed — not a draft with comments still in the margin.
• The signer’s name and email. Add more recipients if you need sequential order or parallel signing on the same envelope.
• A decision on reminders and expiry, or a willingness to keep the workspace defaults (remind every 3 days, expire in 14).
• Optionally, an access code you will share through a channel other than the invite email.

You do not need the signer to create an Inkpacket account. You do not need a payment method. You do not need mail configured — if Resend is missing, the desk still shows the signing URL so you can copy it.

Minute 1: Open the desk and upload the PDF

After signup you land in an organization-scoped desk. Open Documents and start a new envelope. Upload the PDF and give it a title the team will recognize later — “Vendor agreement — Harbor Co.” beats “Document (3).” The file is stored behind an S3-compatible interface; Settings shows S3-compatible when the S3_* keys are set, otherwise Local fallback. Other workspaces cannot see it. Empty files, non-PDFs, and unreadable bytes are rejected on upload instead of opening a blank editor. FAQ lists those messages.

If this PDF is one you will send again next week, you can save it as a template instead and skip field placement on every later send. That path is in templates that reuse field layouts, More on templates, and on Features. For this five-minute pass, stay on the one-off upload.

Minute 2: Place the fields

Open the field editor. Drop a signature mark where the signer should sign, a date mark if you want the signed date stamped, and text marks for anything they must type. Coordinates are stored as page percentages so the completed file receives the same layout. Required fields are the ones that block submit; do not mark optional notes as required unless you mean it.

Keep the marks inside the visible page. A signature that sits in the margin still “works,” but the filed PDF will look sloppy. Place once, scan the page, save. You are still in draft. Nothing has been emailed.

Minute 3: Name the signer

Enter the signer’s name and email on the envelope. This is the identity the audit trail will attach to viewed, signed, completed, or declined. A typo here is recoverable later — you can correct the recipient on the same envelope without minting a second envelope — but it is cheaper to get the address right now.

One recipient is enough for this five-minute path. Add more on the same envelope if you need sequential order or parallel signing — More on signing order. If you later need the same layout in front of fifty people, that is bulk send for HR and sales envelopes, not this form.

Minute 4: Set send options

The send form is where the envelope becomes an agreement in motion. You choose cadence, expiry, and whether the link is locked.

Reminder interval and expiration

Keep the defaults if you have no reason to change them: remind every 3 days, expire in 14. Workspace owners can change those defaults in Settings. Set the reminder interval to 0 on this envelope if you do not want nudges. After the expiration date the desk shows expired status and the signer cannot complete the envelope. Reminders and expiry is the longer guide. More on reminders covers the same cadence.

Optional access code

If the PDF should not open for whoever has the URL, set an access code. Generate one on the form if you do not want to invent it. Inkpacket stores only a hash. The signer must enter the code before viewing or signing. After five incorrect tries the page locks for 15 minutes. Share the code separately from the signing link — it is not in the invite email. Access codes for sensitive envelopes is the dedicated guide; More on access codes and the access codes feature cover the same rules.

Minute 5: Send and copy the link

Send the envelope. If Resend is configured, the signer gets the email. If it is not, Inkpacket logs the invite and the desk still shows the signing URL and the embed URL. Copy the signing link and send it yourself when you need to. Copy the embed URL if you will iframe the signer on a page you already operate — embedded signing on your own site and the embed snippet live on those pages.

The envelope status becomes sent. From here the desk can void it, correct the recipient, or resend the same link. Those actions keep the same envelope id. Do not create a second envelope because someone lost the first email.

What the signer does

1. Opens the tokenized URL. Enters the access code if you set one.
2. Reads the PDF. Completes required signature, date, text, initials, checkbox, and select fields assigned to them.
3. Submits. Or declines with a reason if they will not sign.

They never create an account. If the link has expired or you have voided the envelope, they cannot finish. If they decline, reminders stop, signing links stop, and you are emailed when Resend is configured. Status becomes declined. That path is in the envelope admin guide.

After they sign

Inkpacket stamps the values onto the original PDF and stores a second object. Preview the pages in the field editor and download the signed copy from the same envelope. If the preview says it could not load the PDF, refresh; a missing or empty stored object returns that error instead of a blank file — re-upload if you are the sender. If Drive archive is on in Settings, the same completed PDF and a JSON audit export go to the chosen folder — or the desk reports Drive not configured when credentials are missing. The audit log on that document should show created, sent, viewed, signed, and completed. If you set a workspace or per-packet webhook, your app receives a signed POST for those events.

Completed envelopes cannot be voided. If the filed copy is wrong because the PDF itself was the wrong file, you send a new envelope. Envelope admin is for in-flight work, not for rewriting history.

When you send the same PDF often

The five-minute path places fields every time. After the first send, save the PDF and marks as a workspace template. The next envelope starts from that layout: pick the signer, set cadence, send. Members of another organization cannot see or use that template. The home page calls this “place the fields once.” More on templates is the short version.

When you need many recipients

Do not repeat this walkthrough fifty times. Open Bulk send, choose the template, paste or upload a CSV of names and emails, map the columns, preview the count, and start the job. Each unique email gets its own envelope with the same field layout and the reminder, expiration, and optional access code you set on the job. Retrying skips rows that already sent. Bulk send for HR and sales envelopes, More on bulk send, and the feature write-up match the screen.

If something goes wrong after send

Wrong email: correct the recipient on the same envelope. Lost email: resend the existing link. Deal died: void the envelope so every signing and embed link stops. Signer refuses: they decline with a reason. Details and the public API routes live in envelope admin and Docs.

That is the five-minute send. Open a workspace on Free — see choosing a plan and published pricing if you want the proposed lanes — or read the FAQ if you are still deciding whether the desk matches how you work.