With so many companies shifting to online signatures, having a signature with a transparent background can come in handy. A signature with a transparent background looks more professional than one with a white background, which can clash with the digital document itself.
This article covers how to create transparent signatures online the easy way. We’ll also go through the basics of transparent signatures and why you should use them.
Let’s get started.
What is a Transparent Signature?
Transparent signatures refer to signature images with an invisible background instead of a solid white. These signature images can be a scan of a handwritten signature and a digitally-drawn or typed signature.
To create a transparent signature, you’ll need to save your signature image as a PNG file instead of a JPG file. Since the JPG image format doesn’t allow transparent backgrounds, any image saved with a transparent background will automatically get a white background when rendered.
PNG signature files allow you to edit the image with basic editing features to remove the unneeded background areas and save the image with a transparent background.
Benefits of Using a Transparent Signature
When signing online documents, having a transparent signature file is preferable to one with a white background
Not all online documents have a pure white background, so having a signature with a solid white background may make the image stand out and look unprofessional. Although this doesn’t affect the validity of the signature itself, using a transparent signature image will guarantee your signatures always look sharp and clean.
Luckily, there are many ways to create transparent signatures online for free.
How to Make a Transparent Signature: 2 Methods
Here are a couple of methods to create a transparent signature online and offline:
Method 1: How to Make a Transparent Signature Using Signaturely
Signaturely’s Online Signature Maker is the easiest way to create a transparent signature online.
Here’s how:
Step 1: Open Signaturely.com and Create a Free Account
Start by going to Signaturely.com and creating an account. Your account comes with three free signature requests per month for life.
Using this tool, you can add a signature line to your documents and send signature requests so others can easily sign your document electronically.
Step 2: Type or Draw Your Signature
You can create or upload your digital signature by typing or drawing it on Signaturely’s platform.
If you want to type your signature, you can choose between different fonts, from formal to handwritten. You can then change the color and angle of your signature if desired.
To personalize it, you can also draw your signature with your mouse, stylus, or trackpad and modify the signature’s thickness, angle, and color.
Step 3: Save Your Transparent Signature for Future Use
Once you’ve personalized your signature and are happy with the result, it will be stored on the Signaturely platform so you can quickly and conveniently sign any document you like.
Step 4: Add Your Transparent Signature to Documents
Now your signature is ready to be used! Next time you click on a signature line, select your signature image to sign any document electronically.
Method 2: How to Make a Transparent Signature Manually
You can also digitize a handwritten signature and use background eraser tools to remove the image’s background.
Here’s how:
Step 1: Sign a Blank Piece of Paper
You can write a few signatures and then choose the best one. Just be sure to leave space between them—it will make it easier to crop the image later.
Step 2: Scan the Signature onto your Computer
You’ll need to scan your handwritten signature once you’re satisfied with it. If you don’t have a scanner, you can use one of several signature scanning apps to scan the image with your phone.
Step 3: Use a Tool to Remove the Background
Once you’ve digitized your signature, you’ll need to remove the background. If you don’t have a tool like Photoshop, you can use online solutions like Photopea and Cartoonize.
Start by increasing the contrast of your signature until you get a solid white background. Then, you can use the appropriate tool to select the image background and delete it.
Step 4: Save as a PNG and Add to Documents
Once you’ve deleted the whole background, you’ll need to save it as a PNG picture to keep it transparent.
Save the image to an easily accessible location so your signature will be ready for your next document.
Transparent Signature FAQ
Here are answers to common questions regarding transparent signature images:
If you’re signing Word documents with a signature image, you can use the “Remove Background” feature to make the background transparent. Select your signature image, go to the Picture Format tab, and click “Background Removal.” You can either allow Word to automatically detect and remove the background, or you can use the “Mark Areas to Keep” or “Mark Areas to Remove” options to select the necessary parts of the image manually. When you’re finished, click on “Keep Changes.”
If you already have a signature file, you must use background eraser tools to remove the background. There are multiple online tools with useful editing features like a magic wand and background selection to remove the background from your signature files automatically.
You’ll need to open your PDF file in an image editing tool like Photoshop. You can use different tools to remove the background and create a transparent signature file there. Once your file is ready, save it as a PNG image to keep the background transparent.
You can remove the background from an existing image file of your signature or create a new one from the ground up. If you want your background to stay transparent, you’ll need to save it as a PNG file since the JPG format does not support transparent backgrounds.
What You Need to Remember About How to Make a Transparent Signature
Ready to create a transparent signature image? You can make one online for free with Signaturely’s Signature Maker. If you register for a free Signaturely account, you’ll also be able to create documents and send them to other signees.
