How to create your signature
Draw it. Use your finger on a phone or tablet, or a mouse or trackpad on a computer. A stylus gives the most natural result.
- Choose the stroke width: thin for a fine-pen look, thicker for a marker look.
- Pick a color: black, navy or blue. Blue is a classic choice that makes a signed printout look original.
- Sign in the box. Use Undo to remove the last stroke, or Clear to start over.
- Download a transparent PNG or an SVG.
Type it. Enter your name and choose from about ten handwriting fonts. This handwritten signature generator mode is the quickest way to a tidy, cursive signature if drawing with a mouse feels clumsy. Download it in the same formats.
Tip: sign larger than you need. Scaling down makes a signature look neater; scaling up makes it look shaky.
Using your signature
On invoices from this site. Click Use on my invoices. In the editor’s Details step, turn on the signature toggle and it appears on your invoices, quotes and commercial invoices, where the export declaration needs a signature.
In Word or Google Docs. Insert the PNG as an image (Insert → Pictures in Word, Insert → Image in Google Docs) and set the text wrapping to “In front of text” so you can place it on the signature line. Our blank Word invoice template has room for it.
On a PDF. In Apple Preview, use the Markup toolbar and add the image or Preview’s own signature tool. In Adobe Acrobat Reader, use the Fill & Sign tool. In other PDF editors, look for “Add image” or “Stamp”.
In e-mail. Most mail programs let you add an image to your e-mail signature in their settings. A handwritten signature can add a personal touch to a closing line, but keep the file small so it does not trigger spam filters.
Is a drawn signature legally binding?
For most everyday documents, an electronic signature is valid when both sides intend to sign and agree to do it electronically.
| What the law says | What that means here | |
|---|---|---|
| EU (eIDAS) | Three levels: simple, advanced and qualified electronic signature. Only a qualified electronic signature (QES) has the same legal effect as a handwritten one by default. | A drawn or typed image is a simple electronic signature. It is admissible as evidence, but its weight depends on the circumstances. |
| US (ESIGN Act, UETA) | A signature or record may not be denied legal effect solely because it is electronic, if the parties consent. | An image signature can work for invoices, quotes and many agreements. Some documents, such as wills, are excluded. |
Important: an image of a signature is not a qualified electronic signature under eIDAS, and it does not prove identity. Anyone who has the file could paste it. Only sign documents you are entitled to sign, and never use someone else’s name or signature. This is general information, not legal advice; ask a lawyer for anything with significant risk.
Keep your signature file safe
Treat the downloaded file like a rubber stamp. Do not post it publicly, do not send it as a separate attachment, and place it only on documents you send yourself, preferably as a flattened PDF so it cannot be lifted out easily. Since nothing is uploaded, the only copies are the ones on your devices. Read more in our privacy policy, and see the guides for help with the documents you sign.