Observe your parent’s letter stylings, proportions, and height ratios. These are the parts of a signature that are often neglected when someone forges another person’s signature, and it makes it much easier to catch the forgery. [3] X Research source Look for signs of your parent’s pen starts and stops, as these can also be telling markers of an authentic vs. a forged signature.
Compare your practice signatures with the real thing. Keep practicing until you achieve a nearly identical replica. As you practice your parent’s signature, compare the size and length of the two signatures. Most people use the same amount of space to sign their name, no matter what document is being signed. If your replica signature is noticeably bigger or smaller than your parent’s, it will be pretty easy to identify as a fake.
Hold the pen comfortably. A common trait among people forging a signature is to grip the pen with a tight fist out of nervousness and/or concentration. This produces a very rigid signature, which can easily be identified as a counterfeit. If you must look up to re-examine the actual signature at any point, do not hold the pen to the page. This produces a blot of ink that can be a very obvious sign of forgery. Likewise, try to avoid breaking the signature (to re-examine the original) between letters or in mid-letter. A sudden change in the signature in which the pen was obviously lifted from the page is a tell-tale mark of a forged signature. Aim to replicate the entire first name in one smooth run, then the entire last name in one continuous signature.
If at all possible, find something with a dark, bold signature. This will make it easier to trace that signature through whatever page you will be signing. Be aware that tracing a signature may leave a second line of ink, or at least an indentation, on your parent’s original signature. This evidence will be impossible to conceal, and may even invalidate whatever document your parent initially signed. Use great caution when selecting a signature to trace so that you do not ruin any important documents or leave behind any obvious evidence. [6] X Research source
Once the real signature is aligned under the blank signature line on the un-signed document, you’ll need to provide a source of light behind or under the authentic document. You can do this by holding the two papers (tightly secured to one another) over a lamp shade or on a window (assuming it’s light out). The backlighting is necessary to allow you to see the authentic signature under the un-signed document. Otherwise, unless the un-signed document is printed on thin tracing paper, you will have a very hard time tracing the signature.
Choose a name for the saved PDF that will be easy for you to identify but will not be obvious to your parents, should they see your desktop or documents folder.
Navigate to the “Select Picture” dialogue box and open the PDF you saved of your parent’s signature. Then go back to “Configure Signature Appearance”. You can make some fine-tuning edits to the signature under “Text Properties,” or deselect all the boxes under “Configure Text” to create a more accurate digital image of your parent’s signature.
Once the document is signed, you can import the signature. Either edit it in with the editing software, or use the digital signature function, depending on the software you have at your disposal. If the signature looks good and is in the right place, print it out and see how it looks on paper. Make any adjustments you need to on the computer and re-print as necessary.
You can buy a pantograph online, or build your own by connecting two pens by a straight piece of wood or plastic, though a purchased pantograph will probably be more accurate.
You may want to take the ink cartridge out of the tracing pen so that it does not draw over your parent’s existing signature, or use a signature that is not important and can be discarded (like a credit card receipt from an insignificant purchase). Try tracing the signature onto a blank scrap of paper before you attempt to “sign” the actual document. This will ensure that you get the signature’s motion and fluidity down correctly.
