Fortunately, if you do find yourself in a position where you need a signature on a Google Doc and want something a little more professional than just typing your name, there are a few ways you can add one.
Using the Built-in Drawing Tools
This is a good option if you have a drawing tablet or touchscreen. It’s also quite useful if you only have a mouse but may not look as good as a regular signature would. To use the drawing tools for a Google Docs signature, follow these steps: This opens a drawing canvas which is a handy tool for when you want to draw a picture for your document. You can add lines, arrows, shapes, text, and even import an image into the tool for editing. Though, for the time being, we’re going to use the Scribble tool to write our signature. This lets you draw “freeform” onto the canvas, meaning you can scribble whatever you like onto it, like your signature! What’s more, if you have a drawing tablet or a touchscreen, you’ll be able to draw a signature directly onto the canvas. These let you set the thickness, color, and consistency of your lines. The last line you draw is highlighted in blue.
Using an Add-on
If using Google’s tools doesn’t produce the results you want, you can try an add-on instead. While you’re free to experiment to search for “signature” and use the add-on that suits you best, there are a few good choices. One of the add-ons that we like is “Simple Signature for Google Docs.” It’s a basic free add-on that is straightforward to use. The signature now appears as an image in your document. You’re free to move it, resize it, or perform other photo-editing tasks on it. You may also want to consider an advanced document-signing solution, such as DocuSign or HelloSign, though there are plenty of solutions to choose from.
Inserting an Image
If digital drawing isn’t for you, perhaps going back to paper is the solution. Of course, you’ll need to get the paper signature into a digital space so that you can use it in your document. This will require a scanner or a mobile phone with a decent camera. Alternatively, save the Google Docs document that needs your signature, print it, sign the hard copy, then scan the whole thing and use that instead. However, you may notice a drop in the quality of the text after the printing and scanning process.
Using a Cursive Font
If drawing a signature isn’t working out and you can’t scan one in, you could use a script-styled font. It would be a chore to go through each font installed on your system to find one that looks good, so if you’d like to cut to the chase, you can use online tools that write your name in a signature style. One nice option is Online Signature’s font signature tool. Open the website, enter your name, and choose font style and size. There are many options to choose from, so you can create a signature that suits your style. You can also set the size of your signature and even add a slope to it if you want. Finally, click on “Create” and download the signature. Then, insert the image in Google Docs.
