How to photograph a signature for a form
A clean photo is what makes a small signature file look sharp:
- Sign on plain white paper, without lines, with a black or dark blue pen. Press firmly so the line is solid.
- Take the photo in daylight, from straight above, so the signature is not slanted. Keep your hand and phone from casting a shadow on the paper.
- Fill most of the photo with the signature. You can crop the rest here.
- Add the photo here, keep Clean white background on, and drag the crop box close around the signature.
A signature is mostly white space, so even a 10 KB file can hold a large, sharp signature. If the file comes out below your form’s minimum, the tool makes it bigger until it reaches it.
Signature sizes and KB limits forms ask for
Every form sets its own rule, so always copy the size from the form or its notice. Some examples:
| Rule in the form | What to set here |
|---|---|
| 6 × 2 cm, 10 to 20 KB | cm, 6 and 2, DPI 200, smallest 10, largest 20 (this page’s defaults) |
| 140 × 60 pixels | pixels, 140 and 60 |
| PAN card (Protean/NSDL): 4.5 × 2 cm, 200 DPI, up to 10 KB | use the PAN card photo resize page, which has this preset |
If a form gives only a KB limit and no size, the resize image to 20 KB tool picks the pixel size for you.