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To sign a typed letter, leave about four blank lines between the closing and your typed name, sign in that space, then type your full name with your title below it. Sign in blue ink: a blue signature marks the letter as an original, which matters if it's ever scanned, copied, or disputed.
Directly between the closing and the typed name. The standard stack is: "Sincerely," on one line, about four blank lines, your signature, then your typed name, then your title and company. The blank lines aren't decoration; they reserve room for the pen. If you type the name immediately under the closing with no gap, there's nowhere to sign without crossing into the text, and the result looks cramped.
The signature itself doesn't need to be legible. Most people's signatures are stylized scribbles, and that's fine: the typed name below it identifies you. What matters is that the mark is yours and consistent. If you sign formal documents regularly, settle on one version of your signature and stick with it, because a signature that changes shape every time invites questions.
| Ink | What it signals | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | An original document | Contracts, legal notices, anything that might be photocopied or scanned later |
| Black | Neutral, traditional | Everyday business letters; also required by some courts and agencies for scanning |
The blue-ink trick is simple: photocopiers and scanners reproduce black signatures perfectly, but a blue signature is visibly ink-on-paper at a glance. For everyday letters it makes no difference. For anything where originality could matter later, a contract, a demand letter, a legal notice, blue is cheap insurance. One exception: some courts and registries require black ink because their scanners are calibrated for it, so check the filing rules if the letter goes to a court.
Put "pp" before your signature. It's short for the Latin "per procurationem", meaning "through the agency of", and it shows you signed with authority rather than imitating the other person's signature. The layout: "pp" then your signature, then your typed name, with the absent person's name above or the arrangement made clear in the letter. Executive assistants sign for bosses this way every day.
Two more cases. If two people are signing, place the signatures side by side or stacked, each with its own typed name and title, and put the more senior signer first or on the left. If you're signing a letter that will be printed and mailed by a service like LetterAgent, there is no pen step: include a typed signature block (or a scanned signature image, if the letter calls for one) in the document itself, since the letter is printed and mailed exactly as you provide it.
Ready to mail it? Send your letter with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and it's printed and mailed.
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