A Beginners Guide to Spotting Printed, Facsimile and Rubber-Stamped Signatures

One of the most important skills an autograph collector can develop is learning to recognise the difference between a genuine hand-signed autograph and a printed or rubber-stamped reproduction.

Whether you collect signed photographs, letters, books, first-day covers or other memorabilia, a few simple checks can often tell you a great deal about what you are looking at.

You don’t need expensive equipment to get started. A good 10x magnifying glass or jeweller’s loupe and plenty of natural light are two of the most useful tools any autograph collector can own.

You can buy my favourite magnifying glass here……this is a must have for any collector.

Important: This guide is about identifying printed and rubber-stamped signatures. It does not cover Autopen or other mechanically produced signatures, which require slightly different examination techniques.

Why the Difference Matters

A genuine autograph is physically written by the person signing the item. You will often hear these described as “live ink” or “wet ink” signatures. Personally i prefer that age old term “handsigned” as i think its more accurate.

A printed or stamped signature is different. It may reproduce a genuine signature very accurately, but the person did not actually sign that particular item, in other words it was “handsigned” !

For collectors, that distinction can make an enormous difference to both the desirability and value of an item.

What Does a Genuine Ink Signature Look Like?

A genuine handwritten signature is created naturally as the pen moves across the paper. If you have made that purchase of the magnifying glass that i have suggested, then you can now study carefully your own signature made by your own hand in various types of pen. Once you have done that, you are well prepared for what comes next…….

Under close examination, you may see:

Variations in writing pressure and speed
Changes in ink flow and line width
Natural starts and stops
Slight variations and imperfections
Pen lifts and breaks between strokes
Overlapping strokes (bridges and tunnels)
Small differences unique to that particular signing

Collectors sometimes describe these characteristics as the “life” in a signature.

A genuine signature normally has movement and variation because it was created by a person, rather than reproduced as a fixed image.

However, remember that no single characteristic proves authenticity. Genuine signatures can vary considerably depending on the pen, paper, writing surface, speed and pressure used.

How to Spot a Printed Signature

Printed signatures are extremely common and can look surprisingly convincing when viewed with the naked eye.

Under magnification, however, the printing process may become obvious.

Look for:

Tiny dots or patterns making up the signature
Inkjet spray or dot patterns
Toner particles associated with laser printing
Uniform colour or density
Edges that do not behave like flowing ink
A lack of natural variation in pressure and stroke

Inkjet Printing

Inkjet printers create images using extremely small droplets of ink.

Under 10x magnification, these droplets can often be seen as individual dots or patterns rather than a continuous ink line.

What appears to be a genuine ink signature from normal viewing distance can therefore quickly reveal itself as a printed image.

Laser Printing

Laser-printed signatures can be more deceptive.

Rather than the obvious dots associated with some inkjet printing, the toner can produce a much more solid-looking image.

One useful comparison is to examine a suspected laser-printed signature alongside a known genuine ink signature using that 10x magnifying glass that you purchased earlier! Yes i know i keep going on about it, but i promise you, once you have one you wont be without it, it will be invaluable.

Look particularly at the way the strokes cross one another.

On a genuine handwritten signature, the ink flows naturally as strokes cross, creating what collectors sometimes describe as “bridges and tunnels” A printed reproduction will generally behave more like a flat image.

Comparison is one of the most useful techniques a collector can learn.

Rubber-Stamped Signatures

Rubber-stamped signatures are less common than printed examples, but they do appear on books, promotional material, correspondence and other memorabilia.

Unfortunately, some people have even produced rubber stamps from famous signatures for fraudulent purposes. I once got caught out by a scammer on ebay who was selling books signed by Margaret Thatcher. On ebay as an image it looked good enough, but once it arrived it was very obvious, as Maggies signature never varied much, but the rubber stamp version was much smaller, so easily spotted once the book had arrived! But it was easy to obtain a refund, and you can find out how to do that here.

A rubber stamp transfers the signature image to the paper in a single action rather than creating it stroke by stroke.

Under examination, you may see:

Uneven ink coverage
Heavy deposits of ink in some places
Slightly fuzzy or compressed edges
Ink pooling in certain areas
Uneven contact with the paper
A signature that appears heavier at one end or the other

Because the entire image is transferred at once, a stamped signature lacks the natural movement and changing pressure of handwriting and will not show the bridges and tunnels that a genuine signature might. Again this is where your magnifying glass comes in handy.

Get Yourself a Good Magnifying Glass

If you collect autographs, a decent 10x magnifying glass or jeweller’s loupe is one of the simplest and most useful tools you can own.

Take it with you when visiting:

Autograph fairs
Auctions
Memorabilia shows
Antique shops
Dealers
Private sales

Not purchased on yet? you can do so here. And no, i do not make any money from this link!

Examine the Signature Under Magnification

Genuine Ink

A genuine ink signature may show:

Smooth, flowing pen strokes
Changes in line width
Variations caused by writing pressure
Ink absorbed into the fibres of the paper
Pen lifts and natural breaks
Overlapping strokes

Printed

A printed signature may show:

Individual dots
Repeating printing patterns
Inkjet spray
Toner particles
Very uniform edges
A lack of natural pressure variation

Rubber Stamp

A stamped signature may show:

Heavy areas of ink
Uneven transfer
Slight feathering
Compressed edges
Areas where the stamp has made better contact with the paper than others

The important point is that you are looking for the way the signature was produced, not simply whether it looks like the person’s handwriting.

Look for Paper Indentations

Another useful check is to examine the paper under a strong light.

Hold the item at an angle and look across the surface. A genuine handwritten signature may leave subtle impressions where the writer applied pressure, but this does depend on the writing implement used.

Sometimes these impressions can also be felt very gently on the reverse of the paper.

But don’t make the mistake of thinking:

“There are no indentations, so it must be printed.”

That is not necessarily true.

The amount of indentation depends on the pressure used, the type of pen, the paper and the surface underneath the item.

The absence of an indentation is therefore not proof of a printed signature.

Comparison Is the Key

Experienced collectors don’t normally make a decision based on one feature.

Instead, examine the item as a whole.

Consider:

Ink — Does it behave like real ink?
Stroke quality — Does the writing flow naturally?
Magnification — What does the signature actually look like close up?
Paper — Are there signs of writing pressure?
Provenance — Where did the item come from?
Comparison — How does it compare with known genuine examples?
Reproduction examples — How does it compare with known printed or stamped examples?

This last point is particularly important.

If you regularly collect autographs, start building your own reference library of genuine signatures and known fakes.

The more examples you study, the easier it becomes to recognise the differences.

Don’t Rely on One Test

Magnification is an excellent first step, but it is not a substitute for proper authentication when significant money is involved.

Some genuine signatures will not display every characteristic described in this article. Equally, some sophisticated reproductions can be extremely convincing.

You should therefore consider the evidence as a whole rather than relying on a single test.

And remember that Autopen signatures are a separate subject. They can be produced using any kind of pen or pencil, so they require different methods of examination.

Learn to Do Your Own Research

One of the biggest advantages you can give yourself as a collector is knowledge.

Don’t automatically assume that a third-party authentication service can do everything for you. Learn how to examine signatures yourself.

Comparison is the key.

Compare the autograph you’re considering with:

Known genuine examples
Known printed examples
Known rubber-stamped examples
Other signatures by the same person
Different examples from the same period

Over time, you will start to recognise patterns that you simply cannot see when you first begin collecting.

I have built a very large reference collection of genuine signatures and fakes over many years, and that experience has proved invaluable.

The more you learn, the less dependent you become on somebody simply telling you “it’s genuine.”

And that can save you a considerable amount of money.

More importantly, it can help you build a better, more knowledgeable and ultimately more valuable collection.

About the Author

Garry King has been collecting autographs and memorabilia for more than forty years and has worked full-time in the autograph and signed memorabilia industry for over thirty-five years.

He is the owner of Autografica.co.uk and has written extensively on authentication, collecting and preservation. His expertise has been featured on television and radio throughout the UK, as well as in numerous newspapers and specialist magazines.

How to Spot Printed Signatures