Can you sign it this way?
Typed name, drawn signature or a photo of one: does it matter?
Less than people expect. The ESIGN Act defines an electronic signature as an electronic sound, symbol or process attached to or logically associated with a record and adopted by a person with the intent to sign it. A typed name qualifies. A finger-drawn signature qualifies. So does clicking a button labeled I agree. What separates a strong signature from a weak one is not how it looks but what was recorded around it.
What the law asks for
Intent to sign, agreement to do it electronically, a signature attached to or associated with the record, and a record that can be kept and reproduced. Nothing in ESIGN or UETA requires a likeness of a handwritten signature. Electronic signatures on contracts are recognized under the federal ESIGN Act and state UETA laws regardless of whether the mark was typed or drawn.
What actually makes a signature strong
- Attribution: evidence the signature came from that person, such as a private link sent to their address or number, an access code, or a session on the sender's device with them present
- Consent: a recorded step where the person agreed to sign electronically before signing
- Integrity: a fingerprint of the document as signed, and a seal so any later change is visible
- Time: a timestamp for the open and the signature, from a source other than the signer's own clock
- A copy: the signed record delivered to every party, so no one holds the only version
The weak case: an image pasted into a file
A scanned picture of a signature dropped into a Word document or a PDF is an electronic signature in the legal sense, and it is the weakest kind in practice. Nothing records who placed it, when, or whether they ever saw the final text. Anyone with the image can place it again. If you are going to sign electronically, sign through something that records the signing, not just the picture.
What Signathing records, whichever style you pick
A signer can type their name or draw with a finger or mouse; the choice is theirs and it changes nothing underneath. Either way the record holds their consent, the private link or in-person session that attributes the signature, the time and device, a fingerprint of the document, a digital seal on the certified PDF, and a verification code beside the signature that anyone can check at signathing.com/verify. Every signing event is also written to a public evidence log that is sealed daily.
Common questions
- Is a typed name a real signature?
- Under the ESIGN Act and state UETA laws, yes, when it is adopted with the intent to sign. What strengthens it is the record around it: consent, attribution, time and integrity.
- Should I ask people to draw instead of type?
- Only if you prefer the look. The drawn stroke is not what a dispute turns on; the record is.
- Is a signature image in a Word document valid?
- It can be an electronic signature in the legal sense, but it carries almost no evidence of who placed it or when. Use a process that records the signing.
- Does a digital signature mean the same thing?
- No. A digital signature is a cryptographic seal on a file that shows it has not changed since sealing. Signathing applies one to every certified PDF. An electronic signature is the person's act of signing. A strong record has both.
General information, not legal advice. Laws change and their application depends on the specific facts. Consult a licensed attorney in your state about your own documents.
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