Foxit Software Inc., maker of a line of tools for creating and editing PDF documents, today announced version 11.2 of its Foxit PDF Editor with integrated e-signature capabilities.

The combination enables users to create, edit and sign legally binding documents without leaving the PDF editor.

The company is banking on simplicity in an environment in which digital contracts are typically distributed through third-party services for signatures. The feature it has integrated is based on technology the company picked up with last month’s acquisition of eSign Genie, which is the trade name of AccountSight Inc.

Foxit with eSign provides a legally binding and secure digital signature workflow that can apply to digital contracts, agreements and forms. People with a Foxit license and account create, redact, edit and collaborate on forms before sending and signing them. They can collect signatures from multiple contacts and manage the signature workflow without using a third-party service.

“You don’t have to go to a portal; if you have a Foxit eSign account and you’re logged in you fill in the form and in the signature area just click,” said Chief Marketing Officer Frank Kettenstock. “You never leave the PDF.”

The global e-signature market is expected to grow faster than 26% annually through 2030, to $12.7 billion, according to Prescient & Strategic Intelligence Private Ltd. The research firm cited “the increasing adoption of remote working policies… and the burgeoning requirement for secure online transactions…. The process of distributing signed PDF documents has made the procedure of in-person contract closing obsolete,” it said.

Users can see the signature transaction within Foxit PDF Editor while the information is kept in the Foxit cloud, where the document is uploaded as an electronic, legally binding record, the company said. Audit trail information such as the date and time the document was opened, when it was signed, its geolocation and its certificate of completion can be seen from the PDF Editor user interface. After the transaction is complete, Foxit leverages public key infrastructure to digitally seal the document, verify that electronic signatures are valid and ensure that documents haven’t been altered.

Foxit Software is the U.S. arm of the China-based Fujian Foxit Software Development JSC Ltd. It’s publicly traded, employs more than 700 people and reported $468 million in revenue in the fiscal year 2020. The U.S. operation had revenues of $69 million last year, nearly all of it in PDF-related business, a spokesman said.

Foxit PDF Editor Pro 11 is priced at $179. Foxit eSign costs $96 annually and Foxit eSign Pro for large enterprises costs $300 annually.

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