Guide G-01 · Everyday documents

How to highlight, fill in and sign a PDF.

Your first five minutes in Redpen on an ordinary document: read it, mark it up, fill in the form, sign it and save. All of it is in the Free plan.
Plan
Free
Use this file
Our sample form: a fictional one-page garden plot application with text boxes, tick boxes, a drop-down and a signature line. Or any PDF of your own. Download Riverbend-Sample.pdf
The markups list, on a sample sheet
Redpen with the markups list open beside a marked-up sheet, each markup showing its author and date
G-01StepsFree

Five steps.

  1. Step 1: Open the PDF

    Choose Open, or drag the file into the window. Any PDF opens, whatever its size.

  2. Step 2: Highlight and comment

    Choose the highlight tool and drag across text. Add a note or text box where you want to say something. Every markup lands in one list with its author and date, and you can set a status on it.

    The markups list: a summary card above markups, each with an author and a date
    Markups list · author and date on each

  3. Step 3: Fill in the form

    Click a field and type, tick the boxes and pick from the lists. View > Highlight form fields shows every place to fill in. The answers are stored in the PDF.

  4. Step 4: Sign it

    Press X for the Sign tool and click where the signature goes. Draw your signature or type your name in a script font. My signatures keeps the ones you use.

  5. Step 5: Save

    Save the PDF. Markups are saved as standard PDF annotations, so the file opens in other PDF viewers too.

You should see

Your highlights and notes are in the markups list, the form shows your answers, and the signature sits on the line. Close the file and open it again: all of it is still there.

What it will not do
  • A scanned page has no text to highlight until it has been through OCR, which is Office and up.
  • A PDF with no form fields can take text boxes from the markup tools. Placing real fillable fields is Office and up.
  • A drawn or typed signature is a picture of your signature. Signing with a digital ID, which records who signed and whether the file changed, is Office and up.
  • Several people marking up one file at the same time is not built. Share the PDF instead.
Keep the original

Save a copy if you want to keep the unmarked file.

Send it for signature

To have someone else sign, Redpen can send it through your own DocuSign account.

G-01.QQuestions

Short answers.

Is highlighting and commenting free?
Yes. Highlights, notes, text boxes, arrows, clouds and the markups list are in the Free plan.
Can I fill in a PDF form for free?
Yes. Filling in forms is part of the Free plan, with no time limit and no account.
Is a drawn signature legally binding?
Redpen is software, not legal advice. A drawn or typed signature is a picture of your signature on the page; ask whoever needs the document what they accept.
Does my file leave my computer?
No. Redpen opens and saves PDFs on your computer, and no AI feature reads them.
RelatedThe free PDF viewer Fill PDF forms Sign PDFs

The screenshot shows a sample drawing sheet, not a real project.

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