How to create an electronic signature

Option 1: Type it in a handwriting style

The quickest way, and often the neatest. Type your name, pick a script style, and download it as an image. PactPen’s free Signature generator does this in the browser and saves a PNG with a transparent background, so it sits on any page without a white box around it.

Option 2: Draw it

Draw with your finger on a phone or tablet, or with a stylus. A mouse works, but the result is usually shaky; a touchscreen gives a far more natural line. The Signature generator also has a draw pad.

Option 3: Photograph your real signature

Sign a sheet of plain white paper with a dark pen, photograph it in good light, and crop tightly around the signature. To place it on a document cleanly, remove the white background first so only the ink remains. On a Mac, Preview can capture a signature on paper with the camera for you.

Make initials too

Contracts often ask you to initial every page. Make matching initials in the same style as your signature with the free Initials generator.

Using your signature

• On a PDF: open it in the free Sign a PDF tool, add your signature and download the signed file.
• In Word or Google Docs: insert the PNG as an image and place it on the signature line.
• Keep the image private. Anyone with the file can paste it onto a page, so do not post it publicly.

Is a signature image legally valid?

Under laws such as the US ESIGN Act, an electronic signature is any electronic mark adopted with the intent to sign, so an image you add on purpose can be a valid signature. On its own, though, it says little about who added it. For contracts with other people, an e-signature service adds the missing evidence: the signer’s consent, the time, the IP address, and a certificate of completion.