How to Add Text, Images and a Signature to a PDF

The editing tools at a glance

Once a PDF is open in ModiPDF, the toolbar above the page offers a Hand tool for moving around, a Select tool for picking and dragging items, and four insert tools: Text, Image, Shape and Sign. Whatever you select appears in the Properties panel on the right, where you can fine-tune its position, size and style. These additions sit on top of the original page content and are written into the PDF when you export.

Adding text

1. Click Text in the toolbar, then click on the page where the text should start. A text box appears with placeholder text.
2. Double-click the box to type directly, or edit the Content field in the Properties panel.
3. Set the font size (8 to 200) and the colour in the Properties panel.
4. Switch to the Select tool and drag the box into its exact position. For precise placement, type X and Y values in the panel.

The exported PDF uses a standard sans-serif font (Helvetica). Styling such as bold, italic or alignment that you see in the editor may not appear identically in the exported file, so always check the result. The standard font covers common Latin characters; if export fails after adding text, look for characters such as emoji or non-Latin scripts and remove them.

Adding an image or logo

1. Select the page you want to place the image on by clicking it, then click Image in the toolbar.
2. Choose a PNG or JPG file. It is placed near the top left of the page and scaled down if it is very wide.
3. Drag it into position with the Select tool, and set exact width and height in the Properties panel.
4. To swap it for a different picture, use Replace Image in the Properties panel.

Drawing shapes

The Shape tool places a rectangle where you click. In the Properties panel you can change its fill colour, outline colour and border width. Rectangles are handy for drawing attention to a section, framing a field you have filled in, or creating a simple box for a note. Shapes are a visual layer only; a filled rectangle placed over text hides it from view but does not remove the text underneath from the file.

Hand-drawing a signature

1. Click Sign in the toolbar. The cursor changes to a crosshair.
2. Press and hold the mouse button on the page and draw your signature. You can lift and continue drawing to add more strokes.
3. Select the signature to adjust its stroke colour and stroke width in the Properties panel, and drag it to the signature line.
4. Export the document and check that the signature sits where you intended.

A drawn signature is an image of your handwriting placed on the page. It is not a certificate-based digital signature, which uses cryptography to prove who signed and whether the file changed afterwards. For many informal agreements a drawn signature is accepted, but if a contract, bank or government office requires a certified digital signature, use a service that provides one.