Working with envelopes
An envelope is Inktivo’s core object — it bundles one or more PDF documents, a list of recipients, and the field placements that tell each person where to sign.
Envelope lifecycle
Every envelope moves through a series of statuses:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| DRAFT | Created but not yet sent. You can still edit documents and recipients. |
| SENT | Sent to recipients. Signing is in progress. |
| COMPLETED | All signers have signed. A final PDF with embedded signatures has been generated. |
| VOIDED | Cancelled by a team member. Recipients can no longer sign. |
| EXPIRED | The signing deadline passed before completion. |
Creating an envelope
- Click New envelope on the dashboard.
- Enter a descriptive title (e.g. “NDA — Acme Corp — Jan 2026”).
- Upload one or more PDF files. Drag them into the upload area or click to browse. Only standard PDFs are accepted — scanned or password-protected files may need to be prepared first.
- Click Continue. Inktivo stores your documents and opens the envelope detail page.
Recipients
Recipients are the people who receive and act on the envelope. Each recipient has a role and an order number.
Roles
| Role | Description |
|---|---|
| SIGNER | Must fill and sign assigned fields. The envelope cannot complete until all signers are done. |
| APPROVER | Reviews and approves the document without placing a handwritten signature. |
| CC | Receives a copy of the document but has no action required. Added for visibility only. |
Signing order
You can control whether recipients are notified at the same time or one after another:
- Parallel— All recipients are emailed simultaneously. Each can sign independently of the others. Good for simple agreements where order doesn’t matter.
- Sequential — Recipients are notified in order of their order number. The next recipient only receives their invitation after the previous one completes. Good for internal approvals or multi-party contracts.
Within a sequential flow, recipients with the same order number are notified together (parallel within that step).
Field types
During document preparation you drag fields from the panel onto the page. Each field is assigned to a specific recipient and can be marked required or optional.
| Field | What it captures |
|---|---|
| Signature | A drawn or typed e-signature. Required for legal completion. |
| Initials | A shortened signature used on each page of multi-page documents. |
| Date | Auto-filled with the date the recipient completes the envelope. |
| Text | Any free-form text the recipient types (e.g. title, company, notes). |
| Checkbox | A checked or unchecked box (e.g. “I agree”). |
| Name | Auto-filled with the recipient’s full name as entered in Inktivo. |
| Auto-filled with the recipient’s email address. |
Sending
- Make sure you have added at least one recipient and placed at least one field.
- Click Send for signature on the envelope detail page.
- Inktivo sends signing-invitation emails to the appropriate recipients and moves the envelope to SENT status.
You cannot edit recipients or documents once an envelope is sent. If you need to make changes, void the envelope and create a new one.
Tracking status
The envelope detail page shows real-time status for each recipient:
- Pending — not yet notified (waiting for their turn in a sequential flow).
- Sent — invitation email delivered, haven’t opened the link yet.
- Viewed — opened the signing link.
- Completed — all required fields filled and submitted.
- Declined — recipient declined to sign and provided a reason.
When all required signers have completed the envelope, Inktivo automatically generates a final flattened PDF with signatures embedded and emails it to all parties (signers, approvers, and CC recipients).
Voiding an envelope
You can void any envelope that is not already completed. Voiding is permanent — recipients’ signing links become invalid and the envelope cannot be re-activated.
- Open the envelope detail page.
- Click Void envelope.
- Optionally provide a reason (e.g. “Terms changed — new version incoming”).
- Confirm. The envelope moves to VOIDED status.
Audit trail
Every envelope has a tamper-evident audit trail recording key events with timestamps. Events include:
- Envelope created
- Envelope sent
- Recipient viewed the signing link
- Recipient signed / declined
- Envelope completed / voided / expired
- Reminder sent
The audit trail is viewable on the envelope detail page and is included in the certificate of completion attached to the final document.