I’ve noticed that RON and IPEN platforms typically only support the most popular file types. The finished document is always a PDF. The input usually must be a PDF, Microsoft Word, or a picture like JPEG. Has anyone ever had a customer who walked away because they needed a different file format, either for the input or the finished document?
I am a RON notary. All platforms that I use require the document to be uploaded via PDF. If the signer sends me a Word document I use LibreOffice to convert it into PDF. The benefit of using PDF is that the recipient and any legal entity can view the document using Adobe to verify the it was done using RON because there are security features that will show up that prevent it from being altered
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It’s true that people who are just learning to deal with digital signatures will have a better understanding of Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader than other software. There is other software, not familiar to as many people, that supports electronic signatures and which allows the person reading it to see if the document has been changed after it was signed. The other software includes Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and AutoCAD by AutoDesk. (AutoCAD is for drawings, such as a land surveyor might produce.)
I could imagine someone wanting to get a notarized Excel spreadsheet, which would be stored safely as the “original”. Then the user could modify it to suit their needs, while always having the original stashed away to refer back to. But I don’t know if there is any real-word demand for that sort of thing.
Vermont doesn’t allow electronic signatures yet. But if I decide to do that once it’s allowed, I don’t think I’d convert a client’s file. I’d let the client do the conversion, in case there are any subtle changes that nobody notices until it’s too late.
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I will normally get the title company or signer’s permission to convert the file or they can change the format themselves.The RON platform requires digital certificates on my browser in order to use the platform. That way, the security of the document is built into the document being signed and notarized. Any attempt to alter a deed, for example, will produce a copy that will not be able to be recorded at the clerk of court office. Hope this helps.
I don’t foresee any of the platforms supporting a finished document in anything other than PDF format anytime soon. But for IPEN, in most states, there is no need to use a platform. The certificate can be installed in the Microsoft certificate store, in Adobe, or it can be in a USB token that’s plugged into the computer. In those cases any software that supports secure digital signatures can use the certificate.
IPEN and RON are two different animals. At present, there are 44 states that have adopted RON laws to some degree and that includes Vermont. RON continues to grow as a secure and viable option. The majority of the time that I have to refuse signers is when they either cannot pass the security questions verifying their identity, or when their government issued photo ID won’t pass the security protocols for being a valid ID.