Process of signing documents

A process of signing documents comprising the following steps:

• (a) generating a document identification from a digital copy of a document to be signed by at least one signatory;
• (b) encoding the document identification into one or more watermarks;
• (c) producing a hard copy of the document to be signed incorporating the one or more watermarks;
• (d) reading the one or more watermarks provided on the hard copy of the document using an optical reader device;
• (e) decoding the document identification encoded into the one or more watermarks read by the optical reader device;
• (f) associating the hard copy of the document to be signed to the digital copy of the document to be signed based on the decoded document identification;
• (g) signing of the hard copy or the digital copy of the document by the at least one signatory using a digital signing device;
• (h) obtaining, based on authentication of the at least one signatory using the digital signing device, signatory information unique to the at least one signatory using the digital signing device;
• and
• (i) generating a digital signature of the digital copy of the document based on the decoded document identification and the signatory information, and applying the digital signature to the digital copy of the document to produce a digitally signed copy of the document.