Generate Adobe Sign Text Tags for InDesign

Generate or write your field's text tag, then:

1. Open your InDesign document
2. Open the Buttons and Forms panel (found in Window > Interactive)
3. Paste the complete Adobe Sign tag into the field's Name.
4. Set any untaggable attributes in the remaining Buttons and Forms panel settings.
5. Export your form as an Interactive PDF.

To activate the Adobe Sign features:

1. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
2. Open the Prepare a Form tool panel.
3. In the latest version* of Adobe Acrobat Pro, click the ellipsis (...) dropdown.
4. Click the "Prepare form for e-signing" option (note: this step will force you to delete any incompatible field types, such as buttons, so make sure to save a copy if you want to preserve those fields for other versions of your form).
5. Accept the two popup messages and save the changes.
6. Now you can drop the PDF into Adobe Sign and test it!

*If you are using an older version of Adobe Acrobat Pro, the "Prepare form for e-signing" option will be under the More button at the top of the Prepare Form field hierarchy on the right (positioned immediately below the object alignment section).

You can access the Adobe Acrobat Sign system in two ways:

1. By opening the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro and using the "Request e-signatures" tool, OR
2. By logging into Acrobat on the web at https://acrobat.adobe.com/ and clicking the "Request e-signatures" icon, then dropping your activated PDF in the popup window.

I continuously test Adobe Sign tags in InDesign for compatibilities. You can see a list of my most recent discoveries on my Change Log page.

*

To make a field required, put an asterisk (*) at the very front of the tag.

Example:

*fieldName_es_:signer1:phone

This is a required phone field assigned to Signer 1.

Note: Signature and initials fields are automatically required (unless they include "opt" in the field name). Don't add an asterisk to these fields--it can cause glitches.

! or :readonly

There are two ways to make a field readonly:

1. Put an exclamation mark (!) at the front of the tag, OR
2. Put :readonly at the end of the tag.

Method 1 does not let ANYONE modify the field, including the sender.

Example:

!fieldName_es_:checkbox

This is a readonly checkbox that cannot be filled by anyone.

Method 2 allows the sender/prefiller to modify the field before sending, then marks the field as readonly for the signers.

Example:

fieldName_es_:prefill:checkbox:readonly

This is a readonly checkbox that can be filled by the prefiller or sender, but will be readonly for all signers. 

Note: You can merge data into readonly fields using  Acrobat Sign APIs or the Send in Bulk via CSV feature before the document is sent for signatures.

fieldName

You can name a field whaever you want; just don't include any spaces or special characters (purely alphanumeric).

As a field naming best practice, I recommend using camel case (likeSoAndThus), but it is not a requirement.

Give each field a unique name to remember what the field is for. Use shared field names to link fields of the same name together.

_es_

This is a required element that tells Adobe Sign the text tag is an interactive field.

"ES" stands for "EchoSign". EchoSign is the name of the company that Adobe bought up and rebranded as Adobe Sign. It's former name still lives on in the tags, though!

The role defines who is assigned to fill out a field. Here are the possible roles:

Prefill

The :prefiller role can fill out the form before they send it out for the signatures of other signers. There can be only one prefiller.

Sender

Similar to the :prefill role, the :sender role can fill out the form before they send it out for the signatures of other signers - but they also must sign the document at the beginning or end of the signing process. This role only works if  the "I need to sign First/Last” option is chosen while setting up the signature request. There can be only one sender.

FormFiller

The :formfiller role only fills in assigned fields; they do not sign the form. You can have multiple sequential formfillers (formfiller1, formfiller2, formfiller3, etc.).

Signer

The :signer role fills in assigned fields and also signs the form. You can have multiple sequential signers (signer1, signer2, signer3, etc.).

Approver

The :approver role reviews the form and approves. Approvers are not required to have a signature field on the form. You can have multiple sequential approvers (approver1, approver2, etc.)

Anyone

The :anyone role permits anyone to fill in a field. The first person to fill out an anyone field locks in the response. After an :anyone field is filled by someone, no one else can change it. 

Everyone (used with :link only)

The :everyone role is unique to the :link field option. It forces each person to click the link and open it in another tab before they are allowed to submit the filled form.

:signature

Automatically required. Captures the signer's full first and last name and date signed.

Alert: This field type is NOT compatible with InDesign's signature field type. You MUST use a plain text field with this tag.

:optsignature

This is an optional version of the signature field. A signer can skip this signature if desired.

Alert: This field type is NOT compatible with InDesign's signature field type. You MUST use a plain text field with this tag.

:digitalsignature

Not currently compatible with InDesign (as of June 2025). This is not recorded in Adobe Sign's documentation. Tested with both text field and signature field types in InDesign.

:initials

Automatically required. Captures the signer's initials and date signed.

:optinitials

Not currently compatible with InDesign (as of June 2025). This is not recorded in Adobe Sign's documentation.

:signatureblock

Includes all of the :signature information, plus email address.

Alert: If your oranization has enabled either of these preferences, then this block field will also display the user-entered title and company fields:

• "Require signers to provide their job title when e-signing," and/or  
• "Require signers to provide their company name when e-signing."

:stampimage

An optional user-uploaded stamp image. Becomes required if no other signature fields have been assigned to the stamping user.

Note: :stamp does not work on its own.

:email

A validated field that appears in the :signatureblock, if entered.

:date

A readonly field that automatically records the signing date.

Note: Adobe Sign does not yet have a "date picker" field type.

:fullname

A readonly field populated automatically based on the signer's typed first and last name when they complete the :signature or :signatureblock fields.

:firstname

A readonly field populated automatically based on the signer's typed first name when they complete the :signature or :signatureblock fields.

:lastname

A readonly field populated automatically based on the signer's typed last name when they complete the :signature or :signatureblock fields.

:title

A field whose value appears in the :signatureblock, if entered.

:company

A field whose value appears in the :signatureblock, if entered.

Default single-line text fields

If no field type is included, the default field type is a simple one-line text field. For example:

fieldName_es_:signer1

This is a simple text field assigned to signer1. Note that no field type has been defined in the tag.

:multiline

This field type permits multiple lines, based on the size of the field you draw in InDesign.

:curr

Permits US and UK currency formats, including prefixes and commas:

:curr(country=us)

:curr(country=uk)

:isemail

Warns the user when they enter an invalid email address pattern.

:isdate

Permits you to set a user-entered date with popup alert if they don't enter the date in your designated pattern.

Example: nameMe_es_:prefill:isdate(format=dd/mm/yy)

:phone

Permits US phone numbers formats (5555555555, 555-555-5555, (555) 555-5555, etc.).

:phone(country=uk)

Permits UK phone number formats.

:ssn

Permits social security number patters 123456789 and 123-45-6789.

:zip

Permits 5-digit (12345) US ZIP codes.

:zip4

Permits US ZIP codes with the additional 4-digit delivery code (12345-6789).

:num

Limits user input to numerical characters (numbers only).

:num()

Limits user input to a number range (<, <=, >,>=, or a combination the highest and lowest permitted numbers in the range). Examples:

• :num(>10)  Permits a user to enter a number larger than 10.
• :num(<10)  Permits a user to enter a number smaller than 10.
• :num(>=10)  Permits a user to enter a number larger than or equal to 10.
• :num(<=10)  Permits a user to enter a number smaller than or equal to 10.
• :num(>1,<10)  Permits a user to enter a number larger than 1 and smaller than 10 (i.e., digits 2-9 are allowed).
• :num(>=1,<=10)  Permits a user to enter a number larger than or equal to 1 and smaller than or equal to 10 (i.e., digits 1-10 are allowed).

Attention: Each text tag can only include on validation directive. One the first validation rule will be applied, if more than one is added to a text tag (additional ones will be ignored).

:custom(regexp="^.{3}$")

You can write your own custom RegEx validations, too! In this example from Adobe's text tagging guide, the regular expression requires three characters to be entered in a row.

:custom(regexp="^.{3}$",msg="Not a match for three characters in a row!")

In this example (also from Adobe's text tagging guide), the same RegEx runs and if the criteria are not met, a custom message is displayed ("Not a match for three characters in a row!").

Additional specifications for creating compatible RegEx strings, as discussed on Adobe's text tagging guide:

• Case insensitivity is not supported ("?i" and "?-a")
• Per Adobe's text tagging guide: The backslash character that is part of regexp constructs such as "\w", must always be escaped with a backslash (i.e., "\\w").
• To search for a backslash, use \\\\.
• The regular expression string begins and ends with the double-quotes (") character.
• If a double-quotes character will be a part of the string that the recipient is expected to enter, the validation string can match the double-quote by escaping it with a backslash: \"

Adobe recommends this website as a helpful reference for the syntax of regular expressions that are compatible with Adobe Sign.

:checkbox

Adds an unchecked checkbox.

:checkbox:checked

Not currently compatible with InDesign (as of June 2025). This is not recorded in Adobe Sign's documentation. You can, however, simply pre-check the desired checkbox in the Buttons and Forms panel, by switching the button appearance to [Normal On] and/or check "Selected by default" in the Buttons and Forms panel.

:radio

Unlike Word text tags, you cannot name each individual radio button option via the text tag. The differences in field name will break the group into individual radio options because Acrobat Pro requires radio buttons to have a shared, identical group name. This is not recorded in Adobe Sign's documentation.

When you generate the radio button group tag for InDesign, use the exact same text tag to name every button in the group.

Individual radio option settings are set in InDesign's Buttons and Forms panel:

1. Enter each option's value into the Button Value field.
2. Enter the shared same group description into the Description field. (You cannot display a different description per option.)

Note: InDesign, there is no way to set the default selection via tag as of June 2025. You can, however, simply pre-check the desired radio button in the Buttons and Forms panel, by switching the button appearance to [Normal On] and/or check "Selected by default" in the Buttons and Forms panel.

:dropdown

Creates a multi-option dropdown menu.

Note: You must use the Combo Field type in InDesign (this tag is not compatible with List Fields, and this is not recorded in Adobe Sign's documentation.)

Individual dropdown options are set in InDesign's Buttons and Forms panel:

• To set up the individual dropdown options, enter them into the Buttons and Forms panel (see screenshot).
• To set a default selection in the list, click to highlight that option in Buttons and Forms panel.
• No need to add a "Choose one" or "Select one" option - that prompt is added to the menu automatically when the PDF is loaded into Adobe Sign.

:attachment

This tag creates a file upload button that supports the following file types:

• Doc types: PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, PPT, PPTX, TXT, RTF
• Image types: JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIF, TIFF
• Other file types: ZIP, CSV, XML

Note: Make sure to test this feature; it should support the listed file types and permit files up to 25mb in size, but the results are a little unpredictable. For instance, a photo uploaded from a smartphone might be rejected.

Accessibility warning: This button is not visible to screenreading software, so it's basically invisible to your visually impaired users. Consider your audience's needs before using this tag.

:inlineimage

This tag creates a button to take a photo or upload a picture that displays inline in the form (example: Driver’s license). The form sender can download image after the signature workflow is complete.

In InDesign, apply this tag to a text field. The dimentions of the text field area will define the size of the space where the image appears.

Issue: If the image is dimensions do not match your anticipated image upload dimensions, the uploaded images may display with distortion (squished horizontally or vertically).

Solution: Test this feature with both iPhone and Android phone cameras to make sure uploaded images don’t get vertically distorted by the field's dimensions.

:link("http://www.URLgoesHere.com")

This tag creates a clickable link you can require your participants to view before they submit the form.

To require an individual participant to click it before they can submit the form, assign it to their role (e.g., signer1).

To require everyone to click it before they can submit the form, assign it to the unique role :everyone. This role only works with the :link tag.

:transactionid

You can have Adobe Sign automatically capture the transaction ID in the form when signing is complete, if that unique identifier is useful to you. This is a readonly field type.

:repeat

Makes the field automatically repeat in the exact same spot on each page thereafter. When the field is filled, all other repeat instances are also filled.

:string(maxlen=#)

Use this rule to limit the number of alphanumeric characters a user can enter into a text field (alphanumeric is the default).

:string(char=alpha,maxlen=#)

Use this rule to limit the number of alpha-only characters a user can enter into a text field.

:string(char=num,maxlen=#)

Use this rule to limit the number of numeric-only characters a user can enter into a text field.

:default("Sample field value here")

Add this rule to any text field to set the default value. You can put the default value in single or double quotes - it doesn't matter.

:font(name=FontName, color=green, size=14)

You can set the font, the color, and the size of your field values. (Note: I have only tested this with single and multiline text fields; it may also work with other field types.)

Example:

nameMe_es_:signer1:font(name=Arial, color=#000000, size=12)

This text field is completed by Signer1, and the value's font is Arial, color is black, size is 12pt.

Supported fonts:

• Lato
• Roboto
• Slabo 13px
• Source Serif Pro
• Source Sans Pro
• Source Code Pro
• OR you can use the name of any font that appears within the existing document (Adobe Sign can tap into the embedded fonts you used to design your form)

Supported colors:

• Black (default if no color defined)
• Blue
• Cyan
• Darkgray
• Gray
• Green
• Lightgray
• Magenta
• Orange
• Pink
• Red
• Yellow
• White
• Or enter it as a hex code (i.e., #000000)

Size is entered in points (i.e., 14pt)

This feature has not been added to the tag generator yet.

I have yet to test this tag type in InDesign. I'm working on it, though!

I have yet to test this tag type in InDesign. I'm working on it, though!

I have yet to test this feature in InDesign. I'm working on it, though!

I have yet to test this feature in InDesign. I'm working on it, though!

The following text tags appear in Adobe's documentation, but they are not supported in InDesign PDFs (and this incompatibility is not recorded in Adobe Sign's documentation):

• :checkbox:checked (Note: :checkbox alone is supported)
• :digitalsignature
• :label("Text")
• :mask and :mask(char=1)
• :optinitials
• :stamp (however, :stampimage does work!)
• :textarea
• :time
• :tooltip("Text")

Note: Even though these tags don't work in InDesign, they likely still work as text tags in Microsoft Word.

I have also confirmed you cannot use bracketed text tagging AND interactive InDesign fields in the same document. Adobe Acrobat Sign will ignore the bracketed text tags if interactive InDesign fields are present in a form (this is not recorded in Adobe Sign's documentation). You must use one or the other.

AI is great at hallucinating imaginary Adobe Sign tags. Here are a few that I've tested and ruled out:

• :admin
• :bordercolor
• :capitalize
• :certifiedrecipient
• :color
• :datetime
• :date(format=MM/DD/YYYY)
• :datesigned
• :delegator
• :fontsize
• :lowercase
• :signerdate
• :toggle
• :password
• :uppercase
• :validation (and any derivatives thereof)
• :width("Pixels")

Adobe Sign tags are robust when used the way they were intended: As raw text tags in documents (such as those made in Word). The fuller range of text tags is available in Adobe's official guide:

https://helpx.adobe.com/sign/using/text-tag.html

Reminder: Many of these tags do not work in InDesign. That's why my guide exists; to save you the trouble of retesting everything I've already tested, ony to discover it doesn't work in the way you expected or needed.

If you discover a tag that works in InDesign that I did not list in my guide, please let me know! Adobe may improve the overlap between their products in the future, and I am eager to keep things up-to-date. Thanks! :)

Adobe Sign's interface is somewhat accessible for your signers IF you have followed InDesign accessibility best practices to produce the PDF.

However.

As of my testing in June 2025, the final signed PDF's user-entered values are not tagged. This means your visually impaired signers will not be able to read their own form values in their signed form, using screenreading software. If you expect your signers to use assistive technology and/or you are a state or federal government agency, this is critical.

For a truly equitable experience, all users should be able to read what they signed, in full, after signing is complete.

Adobe documents this discrepancy here:

"Note: Acrobat Sign can not create an accessible PDF from a source document that is not already accessible. Acrobat Sign only ensures that existing tagging is preserved and that any content entered into a form field is tagged appropriately. It's beyond the scope of Acrobat Sign to produce a tagged document from a source document that isn't tagged when uploaded."

However, Adobe's own InDesign product does not provide a way to tag user-entered values during design or export. User-entered text is, by nature, added by the Adobe Sign system AFTER the PDF is filled and signed via Adobe Sign features, so there is no current workaround. (If you find one, let me know.)

I sincerely hope Adobe is able to fix Adobe Acrobat Sign's PDF output process in time for the oncoming 2026 federal WCAG 2.1 mandate for state and federal governments. In the meantime, this is a critical consideration when you are choosing which signing solution to use with your audience.

I will update if/when this issue is resolved.