It seems from my reading of this issue on the internet that the electronic seal initially came about from COVID restrictions preventing people meeting and handling a common seal. An interesting screed on this, authored by Mike Ellis of Vincent Young solicitors, can be read from a ‘google’ search which gives the back story and legislative developments on the use of the electronic seal.
I think you should quiz your SM again as to the source of the seal you are referring to, as the pdf version doesn’t just appear out of nowhere and he/she must know. Even ‘trivial admin facilities’ have to be paid for as the SM is running a strata management business and need to cover costs, whether it is photocopying, emailing, phone calls etc. Heck, I even know of a lawyer who billed his client $25 in costs for the time he spent reading a ‘thank you’ card for work done. It’s true!