Inserting Signature Lines

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 31, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

This tip is handy if you are putting together a contract or a form that requires signatures. With some word processors you must guess at positioning signature lines on the page. Word, on the other hand, allows you to precisely position signature lines so they look almost typeset. For example, consider the following type of signature line:

(Your Signature) Date

You can create this signature line by using nothing but tabs, some of them with an underscore leader character. The line for the signature and date (the one with the lines) required the setting of three tabs; two of them right-aligned with an underscore leader, the other simply a left-aligned tab stop with no leader. The information line underneath requires two center-aligned tags. In addition, you should use a smaller-than-normal type size for the information line.

The use of tabs for signature lines allows for much more precise positioning of the lines and the information underneath. Your alternative is to use underscores and spaces to position information, or possibly set up a special table. These alternatives are less simple and more prone to positioning errors.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1761) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Applying Bullets from the Keyboard

Most people use the toolbars to apply bullets to paragraphs. If you want to apply them using the keyboard, then you can ...

Discover More

Adjusting the Angle of Axis Labels

When creating a chart, your axis labels may be wider than desired. One way to deal with them is to change the angle at ...

Discover More

Changing How Footnote References Appear

Footnote references normally appear as superscripted digits, both in the main body of your document and in the footnotes ...

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! An easy-to-understand guide to the more advanced features available in the Microsoft 365 version of Word. Enhance the quality of your documents and boost productivity in any field with this in-depth resource. Complete your Word-related tasks more efficiently as you unlock lesser-known tools and learn to quickly access the features you need. Check out Microsoft 365 Word For Professionals For Dummies today!

More WordTips (menu)

Changing Text Case Many Times

Word provides a built-in shortcut to change the case of a text selection. Understanding how that shortcut works (and the ...

Discover More

Eliminating "Before Spacing" at the Top of a Page

When formatting paragraphs in Word, you have several options to adjust the spacing before, within, and at the end of each ...

Discover More

Lines that Don't Change When You Type

Create a form in Word and you will invariably be faced with the need to places fill-in-the-blank lines in the document. ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is 5 - 3?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.