Frequently Asked Questions…

Is SoftSign™ the same as a digital signature?
Can I print and fax documents with my signature(s) directly from my computer using SoftSign™?
Can I use SoftSign™ to sign my email messages?
Can I share documents that I have signed with SoftSign™ as software files?
Will my signature(s) be secure if I share documents as software files that I have signed with SoftSign™?
Can I order a SoftSign™ font that contains one or more of my business’ logos in addition to my signature(s)?

Is SoftSign™ the same as a digital signature?

No. They are entirely different.

SoftSign™ is a custom software font used to place “handwritten” signatures in documents by typing a single keyboard stroke.

Digital signature (sometimes called “electronic signature” or “e–signature”) technology, on the other hand, is a system for sharing files securely that is offered by a number of web service vendors. It consists a set of alphabetic or numeric characters used to authenticate a cryptographic message by ensuring that (1) the sender cannot later disavow the message, (2) the receiver cannot forge the message or signature and (3) the receiver can prove to others that the contents of the message are genuine and originated with the sender.

Can I print and fax documents with my signature(s) directly from my computer using SoftSign™?

Yes. That’s exactly what SoftSign™ is designed to do.

Can I use SoftSign™ to sign my email messages?

Yes, but this is a complex issue.

Software fonts are “local” — available on a computer only if they have been installed. While a set of standard fonts (such as Times New Roman and Verdana) is generally installed on computers to make them available to everyone, SoftSign™ is a custom font containing personal “handwritten” signatures that we recommend installing it only on the signature owner’s computer for the owner exclusively to use.

If you sign email messages with SoftSign™, recipients whose computers do not have your SoftSign™ font installed will see only an “s” (from a font that is installed) instead of your signature. Of course you could ask all your friends to install a copy of your SoftSign™ font on their computers, but this is neither practical nor advisable due to the potential security risks involved with sharing signatures.

The only practical, although not advisable, way to sign email messages with your “handwritten” signature by pasting it as a graphic. If you require a graphic signature, we can provide one (upon request) derived from a signature in your SoftSign™ font. Graphic signature files are neither as convenient nor as versatile as SoftSign™ fonts, but when pasted into documents may be reduced in size without much loss of quality.

If you have a vector graphic program (such as Adobe Illustrator), you can use your SoftSign™ font to create a signature graphic by selecting the font, striking the appropriate key to enter the signature, converting the signature to an outline, adjusting its size and other properties, such as color, to meet your requirements and saving it as a JPEG, GIF, PNG, etc. file to then paste into a document.

Can I share documents that I have signed with SoftSign™ as software files?

Yes, as long as you have saved them with your SoftSign™ signature(s) embedded.

Some, but not all, computer applications (programs) provide the option to save files with fonts embedded. This makes it possible to share signed documents (including as email attachments) with recipients whose computers do not have your SoftSign™ font installed.

The SoftSign™ User Manual discusses font embedding in greater detail.

Will my signature(s) be secure if I share documents as software files that I have signed with SoftSign™?

Yes, as long as (1) you have not saved them with your signature(s) embedded, recipients whose computers do not have your SoftSign™ font installed will see only an “s” (from a font that is installed) instead of your signature(s) and (2) you protect your signature(s) by not sharing your SoftSign™ font itself.

We deliver all SoftSign™ fonts as a set with two versions: (1) a standard TrueType font (which permits embedding) and (2) a special TrueType font that actually prohibits embedding, even if you attempt to embed it.

Can I order a SoftSign™ font that contains one or more of my business’ logos in addition to my signature(s)?

Yes. While all SoftSign™ fonts have at least one signature, they may also have one or more logos.

A font’s “characters” (letters, numbers, punctuation marks, symbols, etc.) are called “glyphs,” which are actually graphic images. Signatures, logos or other graphics may also be placed in fonts.

SoftSign™ fonts are priced according to the number of glyphs they have, whether they have only signatures or a combination of signatures and logos. For example, a SoftSign™ font with one signature and one logo costs the same as a font with two signatures.

Please contact us to make arrangements for submitting logo samples before ordering SoftSign™.