Signature vs seal vs audit trail. PAdES binding, tamper evidence, and public verify without login.
By the Docshark team··9 min read
Brand refresh proposal.pdf
Signing order
One at a timeAll at once
Each person receives it after the previous person finishes.
1Adham AlaaApproverWaiting
2Asim AhmedSignerWaiting
3Mohamed MaraieWitnessWaiting
Three people, one after another
Adham approves first
Then Asim signs
The order switches to all at once
Everyone receives it at the same moment
A signature image on a PDF is easy to copy. What holds up later is the seal: a cryptographic binding between the file, the signers, and the audit trail. Docshark applies a PAdES seal and hosts a public verify page anyone can check without logging in.
01Signature vs seal
Element
What it proves
Visual signature
Someone placed ink on the page
Audit events
Who opened, verified, signed, when
PAdES seal
File hash matches signed state; tamper evident
Public verify
Third party confirms without your account
Visual signature
What it proves
Someone placed ink on the page
Audit events
What it proves
Who opened, verified, signed, when
PAdES seal
What it proves
File hash matches signed state; tamper evident
Public verify
What it proves
Third party confirms without your account
02Verify without an account
Upload the finished PDF to the public verify flow. The page confirms the seal and document hash match. Senders, recipients, and counsel can all use the same check months later.
Certificate sealed
DS-7Q31-0442
Fully executed
AAsim AhmedSigned11 Sep 2026 · 14:02
AAdham AlaaReceives a copy11 Sep 2026 · 14:03
Document
9f2c41ab 7e03d5c8 b16a2f94 0d7e5b31
Record fingerprint
e07d9b3c 52a8f16e 3c49d0b7 a81f2e65
Open verification
This certificate is authentic
DocumentVerified
RecordVerified
The sealed certificate
Its fingerprints are written
Verification is opened
Anyone can confirm it is authentic
Live demoCompletion produces sealed PDF + verify link.
03When you need third-party proof
Finance asks if the contract they filed is the signed original
A partner disputes which version was executed
Audit or compliance review samples one envelope
You need to show read + sign timeline to counsel
04How sealing fits the send flow
Tracked link records reads
OTP ties each signer to email
Completion applies PAdES to the PDF
Certificate email includes verify URL
05Questions people ask
What is an electronic seal on a PDF?
A cryptographic seal binding the signed file to recorded events. Docshark uses PAdES with public verify.
How do I verify a signature?
Use the public verify page with the sealed PDF or certificate code from the completion email.
How do I seal a PDF electronically?
Applied automatically when all signers finish on Docshark. Download sealed export or verify online.
Can anyone verify?
Yes. Public verify does not require a Docshark login.
What if the file is edited after seal?
Verify fails or shows tamper. The hash no longer matches the sealed record.
Is seal included on free?
Yes. PAdES seal and public verify on completed envelopes at every plan tier.
Audit certificate vs sealed PDF?
Sealed PDF is the signed document. Certificate is the event log; both link to verify.
Gulf contracts?
Same seal flow for Arabic or English PDFs. Legality context on our country pages.
