By Ern Phang, Solicitor & Notary Public
Director of Phang Legal. Solicitor since 1998 and notary public since 2005.
Example: the situation
Varsha's lawyer emailed her the document to sign, and she doesn't have a printer at home. She asks whether we can print it for her when she arrives for her appointment.
We don't print documents for clients, and the reason is about getting the format right. Let's discuss this further.
We don't print documents. It's a policy that we've had for many years as a result of some bad experiences with clients and their documents.
Yes, we know it's inconvenient for you if you don't have your own printer or it's not easy for you to find a printer. There are several printing offices around Parramatta that offer this service. But we don't print documents for clients.
If your lawyer hasn't sent you the original hardcopy document to sign, just make sure you print your document in the form and the format required by your lawyer. Presumably, this will ensure that it's legally valid and will be recognised for whatever it needs to do in India.
Paper requirements are not consistent
Different countries have different document requirements and different paper requirements. For India, it's common that some legal documents are printed on stamped paper, bonded paper, 'legal paper', green foolscap paper, A3-sized paper, or even cardboard. In fact, this isn't even a complete list of variations that we've seen over the years.
All of these papers are not readily available in Australia. In Australia, our documents are generally printed on white A4-sized 80 gsm paper.
We're not in the printing business
Our service is the notary public service. For the most part, this means we're witnessing signatures or certifying documents. But we're NOT printing documents.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, experience has taught us that if we print documents for clients, and for whatever reason the documents aren't correct, incomplete, improperly formatted, or aren't printed on the 'correct' kind of paper then somehow it's our fault and we get blamed (even though there may be nothing wrong with our notary public services in witnessing or certifying documents).
Sure, maybe over the many years, it's only one or two people who have argued that if we printed the document then we're responsible for the document, but that's enough for us to implement a 'no printing' policy across all. It's an unnecessary administrative burden and worries for our office when it's really not part of what we do or what we're paid to do. We just provide the notary public service.
Example: the solution
Varsha had her document printed at a printing office near our Parramatta office, in the format her lawyer specified. She then signed it in front of our notary public, who notarised it.
About Us
This blog is maintained by Phang Legal, a boutique law firm with offices in Parramatta and Rouse Hill. We help clients from across Sydney and beyond with personal, professional and timely Legal Services, Notary Services and Apostille Services.
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Phang Legal — Parramatta6/83 George Street
Level 3, 87 Marsden Street (from 1 March 2026)
Parramatta NSW 2150
Phang Legal — Rouse Hill
214/80 Main Street
Rouse Hill NSW 2155
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About the author
Ern Phang — Solicitor & Notary Public
This article was written by Ern Phang, a director of Phang Legal, a solicitor since 1998 and a notary public since 2005.
Ern has been a member of the Society of Notaries of NSW since 2005, a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Notaries since 2013, and a member of the Law Society of New South Wales since 1998.
Ern regularly writes about his experiences as a notary public and the practical issues his clients face when sending documents from Australia to India and other countries all over the world.
Using information in this article
This article provides general information. Requirements, forms, fees and service arrangements may have changed since its original publication. Check the receiving organisation’s current requirements and obtain advice relevant to your circumstances.
