Three ways to make a signature image

From a typeface, drawn by hand, or lifted from a photo — and when each is right.

There are three ways to make a signature image, and they suit different situations.

1. From a typeface

Type your name, pick a handwriting face, done. The fastest and cleanest option, though what you get is a typeface, not your hand. Fine for internal documents and formal confirmation fields. Latin script faces suit Roman names particularly well.

2. Draw it

Draw with a mouse or a finger. This gets closest to your actual signature. A phone or tablet with a finger or stylus gives far better results than a mouse. If a stroke goes wrong, Undo removes it one stroke at a time.

3. From a photo of paper

Sign a white sheet as you normally would, photograph it, and the white background is removed, leaving only the strokes as a transparent PNG. This keeps the real feel of the pen and looks the most natural.

For a clean result, shoot in good light without shadows and use a pen with a dark, solid line. If background remains, raise the threshold; if the strokes fade, lower it. A faint pencil signature can be darkened with the stroke-colour option.

The photo goes nowhere

The photo is processed inside your browser only. It is not uploaded and not stored. Signatures are more sensitive than seals, so this mattered.

Make this seal

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