Not every recipient needs to sign. Some need to review and authorize, others need to fill in fields before a signer takes over. SignatureAPI now supports two recipient types that handle exactly these roles: approver and preparer.
What they do
An approver reviews the documents and approves them without adding a signature. Common uses include manager sign-off before a contract goes out, compliance review, and multi-stage internal authorization. The approver’s ceremony ends with an “Approve” action and is not recorded in the audit log attached to the deliverable.
A preparer fills in document fields before the envelope reaches a signer. Use this type when a sales rep enters pricing and dates, or when an administrator populates details that signers then confirm. The preparer’s ceremony ends with a “Finish” action.
Both types can interact with text inputs, checkboxes, and dropdowns. Neither can be assigned signature or initials places. The two are functionally equivalent under the hood, and the distinction is the wording shown to the recipient during the ceremony.
Routing and delivery
Pair approvers and preparers with sequential routing so they act before the signer sees the envelope. In sequential envelopes, any values they enter are visible to later recipients.
Delivery defaults to none for both types, so no invitation email is sent automatically. Your application can share the ceremony URL directly, or you can set delivery_type to email to have SignatureAPI send the invitation for you.
See the approver docs and preparer docs for full examples.
