Marla ignored it. What did she care about authentication tiers? Her father had a flip phone. She texted him the instructions.

As she drove back, her dashboard lit up with a low-fuel warning. She passed a billboard: DocuSign Pro: 30-day free trial, then $45/month. No surprises.

An hour later, a notification buzzed. Document viewed by Hank Shakyhands. Another buzz. Document signed: Hank Shakyhands (typed).

So Marla did what any desperate, cash-strapped grad student would do. She signed up for the .

From then on, she signed everything in wet ink. And when friends asked why, she just smiled and said, “Because the free version costs more than you think.”