How to Create a Handwritten Email Signature

Many email programs have the ability to add a simple text signature. However, including a handwritten signature can make your emails look more attractive and official. Using an email signature in business emails can add to the professionalism of your messages. Fortunately, adding a real signature to your emails is a fairly simple process. If have the right equipment, software and a basic knowledge of HTML coding, you can create your own handwritten signature for free.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Sign your name on a piece of blank paper. Scan the signature using a scanner or all-in-one printer. Or, if you prefer, you can take a picture of the signature using your digital camera and download it to your computer. Save the signature with a file name that you can remember, such as "emailsignature." Use a basic, compressed file format such as *.jpg or *.gif.

2. Open the image file in your favorite image processing program. If you don't have a image processor installed on your computer, use GIMP, which is a free full-featured graphics program. Crop the image closely, leaving a small amount of white space around the signature. Resize the signature so that it is about 300 pixels wide on its longest dimension. Also, decrease the brightness and increase the contrast to make the signature stand out. Save the image with a new file name.

3. Upload the signature to your website or to an image host. Open a text editor and create HTML code for your signature. Type <IMG SRC="URL"> where URL is the HTTP address of your uploaded image. Copy and paste the URL between the quotation marks. Save your file as an *.htm or *.html file.

4. Start your email program and find the options dialogue box. Look for a place where you can insert an HTML file into your email. For example, in Outlook Express, click Tools > Options... and click the "Signatures" tab. Under "Signature Settings" click the check mark beside "Add signatures to all outgoing messages." Under "Edit Signature," select "File" and click "Browse." Find the HTML file you created for your signature, then click "Open." Click "OK."

5. Create a new email in rich text format. In most cases, the signature should appear in the new email window. However, if it doesn't, send yourself an email and see if the signature appears in the window. Make any adjustments that are necessary to your signature options to ensure that the signature will appear correctly. Continue testing your email until the signature looks the way you want it.

Resources

• GIMP free image processing software