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One of the easiest ways to create a transparent signature is to use graphic design software or online tools to carefully remove the background of the signature image, allowing for seamless integration into digital documents.
A transparent signature is a digital signature — also known as an e-signature — that displays your handwritten signature as an image with an invisible background.
So, instead of seeing the solid background color and shading that accompanies a typical e-signature, you’ll see the signature as though it’s been written onto your digital document.
In this article, we’ll show you how to create a transparent signature online with some of the best tools available. You can then use it to sign your digital documents.
We will cover the following points:
Signatures with transparent backgrounds are definitely a growing trend these days in the world of business, adding a professional yet personal touch to your documents.
A transparent background when putting your signature to a document always looks ten times superior to a white one. It also means a signature with a transparent background is suitable for many different types of documents or web pages.
So, let’s get started.
There are plenty of online tools available to help you create a transparent digital signature. Some are more user-friendly and feature-rich than others and offer different levels of security.
Let’s explore how to create a transparent signature using three different online tools.
CreateMySignature (brought to you by PandaDoc) is an online tool designed to help you create transparent signatures online with minimal hassle.
You don’t need to sign up for anything to get a high-quality image file.
Just follow these steps to receive a transparent version of your handwritten signature in seconds:
1. Head to CreateMySignature.com.
2. Select Draw signature.
This will allow you to create a downloadable image for use when signing .pdf files and digital documents inside major software tools like Google Docs.
3. Create your signature using your mouse or trackpad.
For even greater control, you could use your finger or stylus by accessing the website via a mobile device (iPhone, iPad, or Android) and taking advantage of the device’s touchscreen.
4. When you’re happy with the result, click Download signature to download your new transparent background signature.
The image that downloads to your device will be a .png file with a transparent background.
You don’t need to do anything to make your new electronic signature transparent; all the hard work is already done.
To take your new transparent signature for a test drive, open a document in Google Docs for example, and add your new e-signature to the file.
Change the background color. Notice that the background under your written signature changes with it.
You can also resize or reshape your transparent signature image however you see fit, which is useful for signing in small spaces.
This approach isn’t as streamlined as the CreateMySignature process (above), but it’s still an easy way to create a signature with a transparent image background.
1. Head to the Google Draw website, or access Google Draw from your Google Drive by clicking the New Document button, followed by More > Google Drawings.
2. In the Google Draw toolbar, click or tap on the down arrow beside the Line tool(the fifth icon from the right) and select Scribble from the dropdown menu.
3. Draw your signature using a mouse, stylus, or trackpad.
You can also use a touchscreen device by accessing the website via a smartphone or tablet.
4. When finished, click File > Download > PNG Image (PNG).
This step is critical. If you select other formats, your new signature may have a white background!
Once you’ve downloaded your signature, you’re all set.
As with the results from CreateMySignature, you can test your new e-signature by adding it to a document and changing the background color.
Microsoft Word comes with an in-built signature creator, which is handy if you’re a dedicated Word user. That said, the signature creator is pretty limited, which can hinder flexibility.
Before we touch on that, here’s a quick rundown of how you can create e-signatures in Word:
Word signatures are exclusive to Microsoft Word documents, so, you can’t use them to sign a PDF or ppt file, for example.
If you want to create a transparent signature that can be used elsewhere, you’ll have to scan in an image, remove its background, and save it as a PNG file. The background removal process is particularly tedious, so we wouldn’t recommend this method.
When it comes to creating electronic signatures, the main difference between these two formats comes down to their capabilities.
While JPG files support transparent backgrounds, JPGs don’t. Creating a flexible, transparent signature for your signing needs involves saving it in a PNG format.
If you tried to create a transparent signature online and saved your work as a JPG file, the JPG would automatically fill any transparent background with white.
There are a few ways that you can use your new transparent signature online.
The simplest way is to upload your transparent signature to any document that you want to sign and reposition it so that it fits on the signature line.
However, while documents signed in this way can be considered legally binding, we recommend using a dedicated signing platform when adding your signature to high-value contracts and legal documents.
These platforms produce digital signatures, which make contracts much easier to enforce and work to eliminate the possibility of fraud or tampering after the contract is complete.
When using a service like PandaDoc, you’ll be able to upload your new e-signature to the signing platform and use it for all your signed documents.
No more dragging and dropping. Upload it once and you’ll be able to access your signature every time you need it.
There are a few ways to do this, but the easiest way is to drag your transparent signature into a Microsoft Word document or a Google Doc and change the background color.
If the background surrounding your signature changes color (not the signature itself), then the background is transparent.
On the other hand, if the background remains white, the signature wasn’t saved on a transparent background.
This is common with scanned signatures, which can sometimes be saved as a PNG file with a white background.
If you’re using a scanner to import your handwritten signature, your importing software may lack the capability to create a transparent background.
In the early days of the Internet, you’d need semi-professional editing software to create a digital signature.
While several online solutions now exist to streamline this process, tools like Adobe Photoshop and GIMP still exist so it’s still possible to create a transparent signature using digital brushes and the magic wand or eraser tools for background removal.
However, we don’t recommend it. This tends to be a time-consuming and tedious process that achieves subpar results.
If you choose to go down this route, just remember to save your final image as a PNG file rather than a JPG file when you’re done or the background of your signature file will automatically fill that transparent space with white.
Looking to go beyond a simple online signature image?
PandaDoc has all the tools you need (including templates, watermarking tools, and more) to create incredible contracts, proposals, and other business documentation.
Our secure signing environment helps to ensure that every document signed through our platform is legally binding, and our design tools make it easy for businesses to build and edit critical sales documents on the fly.
Sign up for a 14-day trial and discover how PandaDoc can revolutionize your digital signing process.
There are a few methods that you can use to remove the background from your PDF signature. One way is to upload your PDF to an image editing tool, remove the signature background, and save it as a PNG file. However, a better option is to use an e- signature platform, which lets you create signature fields and drag them to where you want them in your PDF. They’ll be completely transparent from the get-go.
To make your existing signature stamp transparent, you need to remove the background from the image file and save it as a PNG file. Alternatively, you can create a new signature using an electronic signature platform.