Preparing and sending

Updated

Prepare the document

Create an envelope and upload one PDF. Witness accepts documents up to 20 MiB and 100 pages. It stores the original privately, records its hash, and renders page previews for field placement.

Add every signer before placing fields. Witness sends all signers at once; it does not support sequential or mixed routing.

Place the fields each signer must complete:

signature and initials, completed as typed or drawn marks;
signed date;
text; and
checkbox.

Required fields must be complete before that signer can finish. Review the PDF, assignments, signer names, and email addresses before sending; a sent envelope is intentionally frozen.

Send

Set an optional expiry date and reminder cadence, then send. Witness generates a signing invitation for each signer and records the lifecycle event in the audit chain.

The default Scalpels mailer needs no catalog environment variable. If your Cloud environment uses a different mail transport, test it from Setup before relying on invitations.

Watch delivery

The envelope screen separates document state from mail-delivery state. A sent envelope can still have a failed or uncertain invitation. Retry through the application after correcting mail delivery; do not edit database rows or manufacture signing links.

Reminders rotate the signer's invitation token. An older link stops working after a reminder, while a verification code is valid for ten minutes and is rate limited.

Do not use Witness for files or evidence levels outside its stated limits. Split or simplify the workflow, or use a specialist signing service when the document requires ordered signers, stronger identity, a qualified signature, a seal, or notarisation.