Signature vs handwriting

Signature vs handwriting compares a name composition with ordinary text. Inspect shared letters, enlarged initials, word gaps and finishing strokes.

Albert Einstein's signature
Measured autograph specimen · Albert Einstein

What each sample contains

AspectOrdinary handwritingSignature
SampleSeveral words over multiple linesA name or familiar mark
LayoutMargins, word gaps and line spacingOverall name proportions and flourish
LettersRepeated forms in changing word contextsInitials and name-specific forms
MeasurementsSlant, baseline, bodies, gaps and loopsSlant, opening ratio, underline, loops and finish
ToolHandwriting analyzerSignature analyzer & Signature ideas

Compare shared features

Use the same date, pen and image scale where possible. Compare stems in letters shared by the name and the passage. Check whether the body letters lean alike, whether ovals have similar closure, and whether the signature’s opening sits much higher than the ordinary capitals.

Describe the differences

A signature can abbreviate a surname, exaggerate an initial or add a long finish. Ordinary writing has to carry readable words and occupy a page. Record those composition choices separately from a repeated slant or letter form.

Compare the same letters in both samples. A name may repeat only a few letters, while a passage provides more positions in which to inspect their shapes and joins.

Make a paired sample

  1. Write three ordinary sentences.
  2. Add a signature below them.
  3. Photograph the whole page, then crop a separate image of the signature.
  4. Use each tool on its appropriate image and record three shared features and three differences.