Section 1
Getting started
EasyDraftDocs is a private document workflow platform. You upload PDFs, set up who needs to sign or approve them, and the platform handles routing, notifications, and the audit trail. No chasing anyone down.
Creating an account
- Click Sign up in the Authentication panel on the left sidebar.
- Enter your full name, an optional team or company name, your email address, and a password.
- Click Create account. You may need to confirm your email address before signing in — check your inbox for a confirmation link.
- Once confirmed, sign in and you are ready to go.
Signing in
Use the Sign in tab in the Authentication panel. Enter your email and password and click Continue. If you were invited to a workspace, sign in (or sign up) with the same email address from your invitation and you will be added to the workspace automatically.
Section 2
Setting up your team
Your workspace is created automatically when you sign up. Internal team members — people who log in and work in EasyDraftDocs — are managed from the Team panel in the sidebar.
Inviting team members
- Scroll to the Team section in the sidebar.
- Enter the invitee's email address and select their role (Member or Admin).
- Click Send invite. They receive an email with a link to join your workspace.
- When they click the link and sign up (or sign in), they are automatically added to your workspace.
Roles
| Role | What they can do |
|---|---|
| Owner | Full access — manages billing, team membership, workspace settings, and all documents. |
| Admin | Can invite members, upload documents, and manage workflows. Cannot change billing. |
| Member | Can upload documents and run their own workflows. |
| Billing admin | Can access the Billing panel and manage payment methods and subscriptions, but has no elevated access to documents or team management. |
Note: workspace roles control access to team and billing features. Individual document access (editor, viewer, signer) is granted separately per document via the document's Access panel.
Renaming your workspace
Workspace owners can update the workspace name from the Team panel using the rename field at the top of the section.
Managing pending invitations
Pending invitations are listed below the member list. You can Resend the invite email or Revoke it at any time before it is accepted. Invitations expire after 7 days.
Section 3
Uploading a document
- Click Upload PDF in the main document panel, or drag a PDF file onto the upload area.
- Give the document a name (defaults to the filename).
- Choose a routing strategy: Sequential (participants act one at a time in order) or Parallel (all participants act at the same time).
- Choose a delivery mode — see the next section for details.
- Optionally set a due date and a lock policy.
- Click Upload. The document appears in your document list and is ready to prepare.
Distribution target (self-managed only)
When using the Store & distribute myself delivery mode, an optional Shared storage or distribution target field lets you note where the document will end up — for example, a Dropbox folder, SharePoint library, network path, or email list. This is a free-text memo field for your own reference; EasyDraftDocs does not push files to external systems automatically.
OCR (scanned documents)
If your PDF is a scanned image rather than a native digital PDF, tick Scanned document (queue OCR) before uploading. This queues an OCR job that makes the text searchable and improves field placement accuracy. You can also trigger OCR on an existing document from the document's workflow panel using the Queue OCR button.
Duplicating a document
Select a completed (or any) document and click Duplicate from the document panel. This creates a new copy in draft state with the same field layout and signer configuration, ready to send again without re-doing setup.
Section 4
Choosing a delivery mode
Delivery mode controls how participants are notified and how the workflow progresses.
| Mode | What it means | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Store & distribute myself | EasyDraftDocs stores the document and lets you edit and export it. No routing or notifications are sent. | Drafting contracts, storing reference documents, internal records you handle manually. |
| Internal use only | Participants are your team members. They sign or approve directly inside EasyDraftDocs when it is their turn. No external email links are sent. | Internal approval chains, sign-offs between colleagues who all have accounts. |
| Managed routing + notifications uses tokens | EasyDraftDocs emails each participant a secure signing link when it is their turn. External participants do not need an account. The platform tracks status and sends reminders. | Client contracts, vendor agreements, anything that goes outside your organization. |
Section 5
Adding participants & fields
Adding participants
- Select a document from the list.
- In the Participants section of the workflow panel, enter the participant's name and email.
- Set their type (Internal or External), whether their action is required, and their routing stage (for sequential workflows).
- Click Add participant.
You can also use the Quick route buttons to rapidly add the next participant in sequence or add a parallel participant without filling in the full form manually.
Reassigning a participant
If someone is unavailable, select the participant from the Reassign participant dropdown, update their name and email, and click Reassign. The audit trail records the change.
Adding fields
Fields are the boxes participants fill in when they receive the document. To add a field:
- Select a document and go to the Fields section.
- Choose a field type (see table below).
- Set the page number and position (X, Y coordinates in points from the top-left of the page), width, and height. You can drag the field preview on the document to position it visually.
- Assign the field to a specific participant.
- Click Add field.
| Field type | What the participant does |
|---|---|
| Signature | Applies a saved or newly created signature image. |
| Initial | Applies a set of initials, typically shorter than a full signature. |
| Approval | A one-click approval stamp — no signature image required. |
| Date | Auto-populated with the date the participant completes the field. |
| Text | Free-text entry — names, titles, reference numbers, etc. |
Section 6
Routing: sequential vs parallel
Routing determines the order in which participants act.
| Strategy | How it works |
|---|---|
| Sequential | Participants are grouped into stages (1, 2, 3…). Stage 1 participants act first; once all required stage-1 fields are complete, stage-2 participants are notified, and so on. |
| Parallel | All participants are notified at the same time and can complete their fields in any order. The workflow completes once every required field is done. |
You set the routing strategy when uploading a document. You can also change it later from the workflow panel before the document is sent.
Section 7
Sending a workflow
Before sending, the workflow panel shows a readiness checklist. Common blockers include:
- No participants added
- No required fields added, or required fields left unassigned
- Insufficient token balance (for managed workflows with external participants)
Once the checklist is clear, click the send button (labelled Send for actions, Send internally, or Start workflow depending on your delivery mode). The platform:
- Records the send event in the audit trail.
- Notifies the first eligible participant(s) by email (managed and internal modes).
- Sets the workflow status to Active and starts watching for due date.
Originator notifications (managed routing)
When uploading a document with Managed routing, a checkbox lets you choose whether to be notified after every individual signature or approval, or only when the workflow completes. This is set at upload time and is visible in the document's metadata panel as Originator updates: Enabled / Off. Enable it for high-visibility workflows; leave it off to avoid email noise on long signing chains.
Section 8
How signing works
Internal participants (team members)
When it is an internal participant's turn, they receive an email notification. They sign in to EasyDraftDocs, select the document from their list, complete their assigned fields in the document panel, and submit.
External participants (managed routing)
External participants receive an email containing a unique, time-limited signing link. They do not need an account. Clicking the link opens a signing session directly in the browser. They complete their assigned fields and submit. Once submitted, the link expires.
Saved signatures
Internal participants can pre-create reusable signatures in the Signature Library section of the sidebar. A saved signature can be typed (rendered in a signature font) or uploaded as an image. You can create multiple signatures for different roles or contexts and set one as your default.
Completing fields
When viewing a document with assigned fields, each field appears as a highlighted box. Click a field to fill it in. For signature and initial fields, you can choose a saved signature or create a new one inline. Once all required fields are complete, the Submit button becomes active.
Section 9
Monitoring & reminders
Document status
The document list shows a status badge for each document. Key statuses:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Not yet sent. Still being set up. |
| Active | Sent and waiting on one or more participants. |
| Overdue | The due date has passed with outstanding actions. |
| Action needed | Changes have been requested and the originator needs to respond. |
| Completed | All required fields are done. The document can be downloaded. |
| Canceled | The workflow was stopped. The audit trail is preserved. |
| Rejected | A participant rejected the workflow outright. |
Waiting on
For active workflows, the document panel shows a Waiting on summary — who is expected to act next, their email, and what kind of action is needed.
Due dates
You can set or update a due date on any document from the workflow panel. Overdue documents are flagged in the document list. Sending a reminder nudges the current eligible participant by email.
Sending reminders
Click Send reminder in the workflow panel to re-notify the current participant(s) without re-running the full routing. Reminders are recorded in the audit trail.
Audit trail
Every meaningful event — uploads, sends, field completions, lock/unlock, reassignments, reminders — is recorded in the Audit trail tab of the document panel with a timestamp and the user or system that triggered it.
Section 10
Workflow actions
Request changes
A participant can request changes to the document rather than signing it outright. This pauses the workflow and sends the document back to the originator with a note. The originator can update the document and re-send, or cancel the workflow entirely.
Reject
A participant can reject the workflow. This closes the current run and notifies the originator. The audit trail is preserved. To start again, duplicate the document and send a fresh workflow.
Cancel
The document owner can cancel an active workflow at any time from the workflow panel. Canceling stops routing and notifications. The document remains accessible and the audit trail is preserved. You can duplicate the document to start a new workflow run.
Lock
Locking prevents any further edits or workflow changes until the document is explicitly reopened. Use it to preserve a final state — for example, after a completed signature run. Lock availability follows the lock policy you chose on upload:
- Owner only — only the document owner can lock or unlock.
- Owner and editors — collaborators with editor access can also lock.
- Owner, editors, and active signer — the current eligible signer can lock once they have acted.
Reopen
A locked or completed document can be reopened to allow further edits, additional signers, or a new workflow run. Reopening is recorded in the audit trail.
Download
Completed documents can be downloaded at any time. The downloaded PDF reflects the final signed state. A completion certificate summarising the audit trail can be generated from the document panel.
Section 11
Billing & tokens
Team subscription
EasyDraftDocs uses a simple per-seat subscription — $12 CAD per internal team member per month or $120 CAD per internal team member per year. External signers who receive links do not count as seats.
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Free trial | 30 days free, no credit card required. Cancel anytime during the trial with no charge. |
| After trial | Choose either $12 CAD per internal seat per month or $120 CAD per internal seat per year. You can add a payment method at any time before the trial ends from the Billing panel. |
| Seats | Set the number of seats when you start your trial. You can adjust it anytime via the billing portal. |
| Cancellation | Cancel anytime from the Billing panel → Manage billing. Access continues until the end of the current billing period. |
External signer tokens token
Tokens are used when you send a managed-routing workflow that includes at least one external (non-team) participant. 1 token = 1 external workflow sent outside your organization.
- Tokens are purchased in packs: $12 CAD = 12 tokens.
- Tokens never expire.
- Token balance is shown in the Billing panel.
- You need an active subscription to buy tokens.
Managing billing
Everything billing-related — payment methods, invoices, seat count, cancellation — is handled through the Stripe billing portal. Click Manage billing (or Add payment method during trial) in the Billing panel to open it.
Section 12
Digital signatures
EasyDraftDocs currently uses saved image or typed signatures together with workflow history, audit events, and a SHA-256 hash of the rendered export. Certificate-backed PDF signing is not part of the current private beta.
What is available today
| Capability | What it means |
|---|---|
| Saved signatures | Reusable typed or uploaded signatures for assigned workflow fields. |
| Audit history | Tracked send, sign, reminder, reopen, export, and workflow-status events. |
| SHA-256 export hash | Stored when the final PDF is rendered so the completion certificate can reference the exact exported bytes. |
Trust pages
Section 13
Account & your data
Profile
Update your display name, company, job title, timezone, locale, and email preferences from the Account section in the sidebar. Click Save account to apply changes.
Signature Library
The Signature Library lets you create and store reusable signatures. Each saved signature has a label (e.g. "VP Operations"), an optional title line, and is either typed text rendered in a signature font or an uploaded image. You can set one as your default so it is pre-selected whenever you sign.
What data we store
- Your profile and preferences
- Uploaded PDF documents and their field layouts
- Saved signatures
- Workflow audit trail and participant records
- Workspace and team membership
You can download any document at any time from the document panel.
Deleting your account
You can permanently delete your account and all associated data from the Your data section in the sidebar. This will:
- Immediately cancel your active Stripe subscription (if any).
- Permanently delete all your documents, signatures, and records from our servers.
- Sign you out. This cannot be undone.
To confirm, you must type your email address into the confirmation field before the delete button becomes active.