Creating a New Digital ID

Before you can digitally sign or certify a document, you need a digital ID in Revu. If you don't have one already installed on your computer, you can purchase one from a trusted Certificate Authority (consult the documentation that accompanies it to install the digital ID; Revu will automatically detect digital IDs installed in eTokens, USB dongles, or in your Windows Certificate Store) or you can create one in Revu (also known as "self-signed"). You will only need to do this once.

This process discusses the creation of a self-signed digital ID. If you purchase a digital ID from a third-part Certificate Authority, you should not need to create a digital ID in Revu. If you are uncertain whether you should use a self-signed digital ID or one purchased from a third-party Certificate Authority, there is a discussion of the merits of both options in the Digital Signatures Tutorial.

If you already have a PKCS #12 self-signed digital ID on your computer and wish to use it in Revu as well, you can import it instead of creating another one.

After creating your self-signed digital ID, you will need to export your public certificate so you can send it to recipients of your signed and/or certified documents.

ClosedCreating a Self-Signed Digital ID

Generally speaking, self-signed digital IDs are sufficient for personal use and small-to-medium businesses, though it is recommended that their use be limited to parties that are already known to each other and have established a measure of mutual trust. When using a self-signed digital ID, you are essentially vouching for yourself.

Before somebody can recognize your self-signed digital ID, you must export your public certificate and send it to them, at which point they will need to install it. If somebody has sent you a public certificate and you wish add them to your Trusted Identities Store, you will need to import their public certificate.

To create a new, self-signed digital ID:

  1. Go to Tools > Signatures > Digital IDs. The Manage Digital IDs dialog box appears.

  2. Click Add Digital ID. The New Digital ID dialog box appears.

  3. Select one of the available Create Digital ID options:
    • Create Digital ID file: Creates a digital ID in the PKCS #12 format. It is protected by a separate password that is defined at the time of creation.
    • Create Digital ID in Windows Certificate Store: Creates a digital ID in the Windows Certificate Store. It is protected by the user's Windows login.

    Note: Since it relies on a user's Windows login credentials, Windows Certificate Store is not recommended for environments with shared login credentials. Additionally, the Windows Certificate Store is Windows-only while PKCS #12 is compatible with both Windows and Mac OS.

  4. Enter the Identity information, as desired.
    • Name and E-mail Address are required fields.

  5. If Create Digital ID file was selected, enter and confirm a Password under PKCS #12 Options. This password will be used to confirm the user as the signer of a document, so use a sufficiently secure password.

  6. Click OK.

The new digital ID now appears in the Manage Digital IDs dialog box. See Customizing the Appearance of a Digital Signature for more information about controlling the appearance of the signature on documents.

Related topics

Importing a Digital ID

Exporting a Trusted Identity Certificate

Importing a Trusted Identity Certificate

Working with Digital Signatures

Controlling a Signature Appearance

Digital Signatures Tutorial