What a QCDS Completed PDF Contains

A QCDS Completed PDF is a verified completion artifact built only after the required signing work is final. It combines rendered frozen source-document pages, final field values, attachment presentation pages when applicable, and an appended QCDS Completion Audit Trail.

Completed Source Pages and Final Values

QCDS starts from the frozen PDF document version associated with the immutable Request. Before composition it verifies the frozen source PDF SHA-256 and the protected normalized page-render hashes.

QCDS then renders final field values onto those frozen pages. This includes signer-entered values, signatures/initials, dates, checkboxes and other supported fields, plus creator-controlled document elements such as Document Text and Document Image where present.

Attachment Presentation Pages

If a signer supplied a Document Attachment, QCDS appends attachment presentation pages to the applicable completed PDF. When the field permits display, the attachment is presented normally. When Display in completed PDF was disabled, QCDS appends the privacy-obscured presentation derivative instead.

The original protected attachment is separate evidence and is not destroyed by that presentation choice.

The Completion Audit Trail

After document and attachment pages, QCDS appends Audit Trail pages. Depending on the Request evidence available, the trail records information such as:

  • Request/document identifiers, created/sent/completed times, time zone, sender, snapshot/manifest/source-document hashes;
  • signer identity, invitation delivery/opening, signing start/completion times, session IP/client/device/time-zone and approximate-location evidence when recorded;
  • verified Level 2 identity details, provider/reference, verification time, and related integrity hashes;
  • signature/initial/signed-date/affirmative-action evidence and value hashes; and
  • Document Attachment metadata, display/privacy status, original filename/type/size, and original attachment SHA-256.

The Final Artifact Is Verified

QCDS verifies the generated file before protected storage, including PDF signature/header, minimum output size, page counts, and SHA-256. The final completed-PDF SHA-256 is stored in the protected artifact record.

That final hash is intentionally not embedded inside the same PDF: adding the hash to the file would change the bytes and therefore change the hash itself.

PDF Evidence and Original Evidence Are Different Layers

The Completed PDF is the human-readable final document and Audit Trail. QCDS also retains the underlying immutable Request snapshot, final signer values, delivery/lifecycle evidence, and protected attachment originals separately. Requests with signer attachments can therefore provide a Completed Package in addition to the PDF.

Community Discussion

Want to compare workflows, share practical tips, or discuss how you use this QCDS feature? Visit the QC Digital Signature Community. For private support, bug reports, account-specific issues, or feature requests, use the QuantaCade support system.