Subscription process: building an envelope

Overview

An envelope brings together the documents that go out as part of the same signature request. One envelope means one email to its signers, and one signing session covering everything inside it.

That makes envelope design a real decision rather than a formality. Group a participant's three subscription documents into one envelope and they sign once. Put them in three envelopes and they receive three requests and sign three times.

The rule of thumb: one envelope per person per sitting. Group by who signs and when, not by document type.

What you'll learn

• What an envelope is the unit of

• How to create one and add documents

• How to decide the grouping — including the confidentiality consequence

• The last check before moving on

Steps

1. From the project Dashboard, open the process under Active Operations. On the Subscription Dashboard, go to E-Signature Setup. Your generated documents are listed and their signers are already defined (A8.7).

2. Create an envelope. Give it a Name that identifies who and what — this is what the team sees while tracking.

3. Select Create. The empty envelope appears, prompting you to drag documents onto it.

4. Add the documents, either by dragging them onto the envelope or by using Select Documents.

5. Repeat for each envelope the process needs.

6. Configure the signing order and any DocuSign options (A8.9), then mark the envelope ready.

How to decide the grouping

One signer, several documents, same moment → one envelope. The common case.

Different signers with no overlap → separate envelopes. Two participants who never need to sign the same paper have no reason to share one.

Same document, two counterparties → one envelope with both signers, and use the signing order to control whether they sign together or in sequence (A8.9).

Documents that must go out at different times → separate envelopes, because sending is per envelope.

And a consequence worth weighing: everyone in an envelope sees everything in it. On a management package, putting two participants' documents in one envelope would show each of them the other's terms. Group per signer.

That is not a setting you can soften. Per-recipient document visibility is deliberately not exposed — the envelope is the privacy boundary, so grouping is the confidentiality decision.

What good looks like

Every generated document sits in exactly one envelope. Each envelope's name tells you at a glance whose it is. Nothing has been sent.

Common problems

A document is in no envelope. It will not be sent. Before moving on, confirm every document you intend to have signed is inside one.

A document is in the wrong envelope. Move it before the envelope is sent. Afterwards is considerably harder.

One envelope for everybody. Tempting, and usually wrong for the confidentiality reason above.

The envelope name is vague. "Envelope 1" tells the person chasing signatures nothing. Name it for who and what.

Related

• A8.7 — Subscription process: defining signers · who is in the envelope

• A8.9 — Subscription process: signing order and DocuSign options · configuring the request

• A8.10 — Subscription process: tracking signatures and sending reminders · sending and following up

• A8.6 — Subscription process: generating and reviewing documents · what goes inside