Enroll in and manage Adobe Sign for PSU departments
The Adobe Sign e-signature service is offered as an opt-in, paid service to departments at PSU. Telecom Coordinators and Group Administrators can enroll in and manage the Adobe Sign service for their departments.
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Roles that Manage Adobe Sign
Telecom Coordinators
Telecom Coordinators enroll departments in Adobe Sign so they can begin to use the service to send documents and forms. Telecom Coordinators also provide local administration for Adobe Sign within a unit, and are responsible for assigning licenses as needed, and assigning users to groups.
Group Administrators
Group administrators have special permissions within their group in Adobe Sign. Departments may have multiple groups, and a group may have several group administrators. A group administrator’s additional permissions include:
Create and run reports for their group.
Create and modify workflows for their group.
In the future (not yet available), the ability to directly add users to their group (rather than requiring Telecom Coordinators to submit the TC Service Desk form).
Enroll a Department in the Adobe Sign Service
If you’re a Telecom Coordinator, you can submit a request to enroll your department into Adobe Sign using the TC Service Desk in the PSU Help Center. Please review the following sections for the information you’ll need, and instructions for completing the form.
Prepare the Following Information
Staff Information
Email address
First name
Last name
Group name(s)
Users can be assigned to multiple groups, such as if they hold positions in different department or teams, or work off of different grants. If users are assigned to multiple groups, they will be able to select which group to send from the "Send" menu Adobe Sign.
If the user is a group administrator (see section “Group Administrators”)
If the user has permission to send documents
Group Information
Group name
Group names must be in the format [Dept initials] [Descriptor] - [Index code] (e.g., OIT ICAT - PSUxxx or OIT Admin - PSUxxx)
Enable bulk sending
Should users in this group be able to use the bulk sending feature? This is similar to mail merge functionality in Microsoft Office, and will charge one transaction per row in the spreadsheet.
Enable webforms
Should users in the group be able to create and publish web forms? This allows for a form to be embedded on a website and kicked off by the customer instead of the sender. A transaction is charged for each web form submitted.
Sharing within group
Should users be able to view ("View") or modify ("Edit") transactions on behalf of other users in the group, or should they only see documents they have sent or signed ("None")?
Sharing between other groups in department
Should users be able to view ("View") or modify ("Edit") transactions on behalf of other users in other groups with the same department prefix, or should they only see documents they have sent or signed ("None")
Instructions for Completing the Form
Navigate to the Adobe Sign Department Enrollment form.
Complete and attach the provided template and submit the form.
Add or Remove Users, Groups, and Index Codes
If you’re a Telecom Coordinator, you can also use the TC Service Desk in the PSU Help Center to:
Add/remove users
Add/remove groups
Change index codes
Change group settings
Prepare the Following Information
To submit these requests, you’ll need to specify the user, group, or index code that needs to be added, modified, or removed.
Note: If a user is leaving a department but remaining with the University, once a “Remove User” request is submitted, the user will lose access to send documents and view other documents in the group (if applicable) but will still be able to log in and view past transactions sent or signed from their account. A user's transactions (sent to signed) travel with their account, rather than the group.
Create Reports in Adobe Sign
Group administrators can use the Reports tool in Adobe Sign to create usage reports for their groups. This data can also be exported to a .csv format for additional analysis and review. For more information on how to use the Reports tool in Adobe Sign, visit Create and run reports (Adobe Help).
Charges for Adobe Sign
For the fiscal year 2023, Adobe Sign costs $1.80 per transaction, billed monthly.
What is a Transaction?
A transaction is considered to be a document or packet of documents sent to one or more recipients for signature or approval. A transaction is charged once the transaction is sent, even if it must later be cancelled or expires. Requesting multiple Adobe Sign users for your department may be done without an additional cost.
When Does my Department get Charged for Transactions?
Departments are charged for transactions one month in arrears through a Banner JV. For instance, transactions sent between March 1 and March 31 will be charged at the end of April. The Banner charges will appear under the normal telecom JV which begins JCXXXXXX in account code 22012.
What Counts as a Transaction?
Document statuses
Adobe Sign has a number of statuses used to determine where a document is in its life cycle, as well as to identify what counts as a transaction for billing purposes. Group administrators can also view their group’s usage and transaction statuses with the Reports tool in Adobe Sign.
Below are some of the statuses a document may be in, when it occurs, and if it is charged as a transaction:
Status | Reason | Charged as Transaction? |
ABANDONED_BEFORE_SEND | User left the document creation process while in progress and the transaction was not sent. | No |
ARCHIVED | Status is no longer in use. | No |
Authoring | Document is being created but hasn’t been sent yet. | No |
Canceled | Transaction has been declined by the sender or a recipient. | Yes |
Completed | Transaction has been signed by all recipients and completed. | Yes (*except for the self-signing use case listed below) |
Expired | Completion deadline for the transaction has passed and the transaction has been canceled. | Yes |
FORM_PROTOTYPE | Documents created as a library template instead of being sent. | No |
In Process | Transaction is currently out for approval or signature. | Yes |
PREFILL | Transaction is waiting for the sender to prefill the document. Once completed, transaction will move to “In Process.” | No |
WIDGET_WAITING_FOR_VERIFICATION | Used for web forms when a transaction is waiting for the form initiator to verify their email address. Once completed, transaction will move to “Completed.” | No |
Self-Signing Use Case Exception
If you need to create a transaction where you are the only form filler and signer, you can use the Fill and Sign tool in Adobe Sign. Transactions sent through this method are marked with a status of “Completed” but are not charged as a transaction. For more information on how to use this tool, visit Fill and sign a document yourself (Adobe Help).