Wacom Signature Set with Reflective Colour 5 Inch LCD STU-540 Pad & Sign Pro PDF for Windows; Capture Handwritten Electronic Signatures in Real Time with Cordless and Battery-Free Pen

Lets be honest, the Wacom LCD STU-540 Signature Set is not cheap. But it is still a much cheaper solution to the horrendously expensive Adobe DocuSign® system.If anyone is not familiar with signature systems like this, they ship with specialist software that allows you to create your own personal, and legally recognised, document security certificates. These certificates are then embedded into pdf documents when you sign them and cannot be deleted. If someone tries to edit a secured document, the certificate becomes invalid and the document rendered legally void.The Sign Pro PDF software that ships with the Wacom pads is good. It allows you to create multiple certificates, and save them either just within the software, or to the software and the Microsoft certificate repository within the Windows Operating System. So you can create a work certificate and a home certificate. When creating the certificates, you can even add your company name, department name and basic location information if you want. The e-signatures created are as secure as you can get. Not only do they include the security certificate, but also the pad serial number, your PC ID and signature biometric data, including the speed of the stylus throughout the signature, plus multiple stylus pressure measurements as you sign across the pad. The software even lets you secure your certificates with optional individual passwords, which must be entered before the signature pad will activate. This means that even if someone has access to your PC and signature pad, they are unable to fake your signature.There has been an evolution of Wacom signature pads over the years, and I found it confusing confirming just what features the STU-540 Pad was capable of. I was even unsure of whether the pad display was backlit or capable of colour, as some of the Amazon review pictures are mixed up with the LCD STU-430 signature pad. I have attached photos of exactly what the STU-540 Pad does from start-up to 'awaiting signature'. The software has been installed and the certificates created. Hopefully Amazon attach them in the correct order. So from left to right.1. The pad turns on and the backlight illuminates.2. The Wacom logo appears, and as you can see, the display is indeed full colour.3. The default screen template appears. The pad will remain at this screen for as long as it is plugged in, backlight on. If you run a business, you can create your own personalised template, and have that display instead. You can add custom text, buttons and logos.4. The pad at the 'awaiting signature' screen.The pad is very responsive, with very little lag. Although not the same as writing on paper, your signature is faithfully reproduced.There are a couple of other nice features in the software. You can enter a default signatory and reason for signing. If this feature is turned on, the default information is added as text with your signature, and also displayed on the pad before you actually sign the document. If this feature is turned off, the software asks for a name and reason before every signature, then adds that information to the signature field.The secured documents must be in PDF format, but it is easy to covert any Microsoft office document from within their native applications, then sign them within Sign Pro PDF.There are still ways for secured documents to be tampered with, such as printing a document, then scanning and photoshopping. Keeping a master copy protects you against this kind of mischief. I even know of a situation, where an individual had a tampered document thrown out of a legal filing, simply by being able to prove that they owned an eSignature system.There is only one thing I do not like about the STU-540 Pad. I wish the screen would turn off whenever the stylus is returned to it's holder. The pad seems targeted at something like a hotel reception, where it will be in use all the time. As a home user with fewer documents to sign, I have to keep unplugging the pad. If you are intending to purchase the pad for a business however, the pad connects via a proprietary USB lead. Standard USB-A at one end, and a pad-specific mini plug at the other. The connection lead is 1.5M long, high quality and locks onto the pad under a plastic cover to prevent accidental disconnection. There is also a standard Kingston lock aperture and the fixings to allow the stylus and pad to be connected via a supplied nylon tether. The tether is a very generous 50cm. In all the photos I have seen, the stylus is always shown lying flat in it's holder. But when you lift the stylus, there is also a hole in the stylus rest, to allow it to sit vertical. The set includes 5 replacement stylus tips and the tool to remove them. Not cheap, but a great way to protect important documents without having to pay exorbitant subscription fees for online systems like DocuSign®.