How to scan your signature with a phone
You do not need a scanner. A phone camera gives a good result if you prepare the paper and the light.
Prepare
- Use plain white, unlined paper.
- Sign with a black or dark blue pen that makes a solid line. Gel and ballpoint pens work better than pencils or light inks.
- Sign larger than usual, about 8 to 10 cm wide. A large signature survives being shrunk to 140 × 60 pixels; a tiny one becomes a blur.
- Do not sign in capital letters if the form forbids it. Many exam forms do.
Photograph
- Put the paper flat near a window in daylight. Avoid direct sun and avoid your own shadow.
- Hold the phone directly above the paper, parallel to it, so the signature is not skewed.
- Turn the flash off. It creates a bright spot on the paper.
- Fill most of the screen with the signature and tap it to focus.
Clean and resize
Add the photo to the resizer, choose the signature setting for your form, and drag and zoom until the signature fills the frame with a small margin. Turn on Clean scan: it makes the paper pure white and the ink dark, which is what forms expect and also keeps the file small.
Check before uploading
Open the downloaded file and look at it at actual size. Every stroke should be visible and the background should be white, not grey. Use the same signature you will sign at the exam centre or office, since staff compare the two.