3 Ways To Forge A Signature - WikiHow

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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow How to Forge a Signature PDF download Download Article Author Info

Last Updated: November 4, 2025 Fact Checked

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  • Using Tracing Paper
    • |
  • Freehanding
    • |
  • Avoiding Pitfalls
    • |
  • Video
    • |
  • Q&A
    • |
  • Tips
    • |
  • Warnings
    • |
  • Things You'll Need
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wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 59 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 739,552 times. Learn more...

Knowing how to forge a signature can come in handy in a pinch. It's fun to learn the architecture of a signature and copy it perfectly, and you can start signing your letters "Benjamin Franklin" or "Marilyn Monroe" just for kicks. Forging a signature with the intent to deceive others is a crime, so be careful how you use these techniques. If you want to learn how to forge a signature so perfectly that no one can tell the difference, this article will help.

Steps

Method 1 Method 1 of 3:

Using Tracing Paper

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  1. Step 1 Place a piece of tracing paper over the original signature. 1 Place a piece of tracing paper over the original signature. Tracing paper is made to be translucent, so you can clearly see what's underneath it. If you don't have a piece of tracing paper handy, you can use a piece of thin white computer paper.[1]
  2. Step 2 Use a pencil to lightly trace the signature. 2 Use a pencil to lightly trace the signature. Use a steady hand and slowly trace over the lines, loops and dots in the signature.[2] Try not to shake your hand or pick up the pencil as you trace. In order to produce a convincing signature, pay attention to the following:
    • The thickness of the lines. People naturally apply more pressure to certain parts of their signature. Maybe the right side of the person's "l" loop is thicker than the left side, for example.
    • The slant of the signature. As you trace, pay attention to the natural slant of the signature and be sure to follow it.
    • The order of the letter formation. For instance, does it look like the person crossed his Ts dotted his Is after completing the rest of the signature? This can affect the way the final signature looks. It's a subtle matter, but it can mean the difference between a decent forgery and one that's easy to call out as fake.
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  3. Step 3 Place the tracing paper over the blank spot where you want to copy the signature. 3 Place the tracing paper over the blank spot where you want to copy the signature. Be sure it's aligned correctly so that it will look like it was signed in a natural way. Many people don't sign their signatures neatly and in a straight line, so take this into account when you're positioning the signature.[3]
  4. Step 4 Make a signature impression. 4 Make a signature impression. Use a pencil or another pointed instrument to press fairly hard over the traced signature to make an impression of the signature on the desired forging area. Don't press so hard that you tear the paper or change the way the signature will look.[4]
    • A deep impression will be noticeable as a sign of forgery, so try to make it as faint as possible while still leaving enough of an indent that you'll be able to go over it in pen.
  5. Step 5 Remove the tracing paper and write the signature in pen. 5 Remove the tracing paper and write the signature in pen. Carefully go over the indented signature with a pen. Don't lift your hand or make any shaky movements - try to make it look natural.[5]
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Method 2 Method 2 of 3:

Freehanding

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  1. Step 1 Study the original. 1 Study the original. Look closely at the signature and pay attention to how it was formed.[6] Everyone writes their signature a little differently, and chances are if you try to reproduce it without studying it first, you'll make some obvious mistakes.[7] Pay attention to these factors as you take in the contours of the signature:
    • Look at places where the letters connect. Is there a lot of overlap between letters, or are there spaces between the letters?
    • Check out the formation of the letters. Are they legible? Misshapen? Scrunched together? Do they have dramatic flourishes?
    • Look at the height and size of the loops. Are they big and billowy? Small and sharp? Getting the loops right is central to a good forgery.
    • Examine the slant. Does the signature slant to the right or to the left? How much does it slant?
    • How much space does the signature take up on the line?
  2. Step 2 Try turning it upside down. 2 Try turning it upside down. It can help to look at the signature from another angle. Look at it as a drawing instead of a signature. This will help you approach it more objectively and enable you to recreate it for what it is, rather than getting your personal signature-writing habits involved.[8]
  3. Step 3 Trace the signature several times. 3 Trace the signature several times. This will help you get a feel for the lines and curves of the other person's handwriting. Take care to try to mimic the motions of the person who originally signed his or her name.[9]
  4. Step 4 Practice freehanding. 4 Practice freehanding. Now that you understand the signature, start writing it freely. You're going to need to practice a lot before it looks anything like the original. The difficulty of getting it right might surprise you! Signatures are tough to forge, which is one reason why they're still used as a way to verify a variety of legal documents.
    • As you practice, note minor differences between the original signature and your practice signatures. Make adjustments as necessary.
    • Keep practicing until the act of writing the signature feels natural, and you can sign the name without pausing.
  5. Step 5 Write it with confidence. 5 Write it with confidence. When it's time to put pen to paper, you should be confident enough to sign the name without lifting the pen or spending too long writing it. A signature signed with confidence will look more authentic than one where it's obvious that a lot of time and care was taken to write it. Sign the name quickly and resist the urge to make changes - there's no going back now.
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Method 3 Method 3 of 3:

Avoiding Pitfalls

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  1. Step 1 Pay attention to what you're writing. 1 Pay attention to what you're writing. Many first-time forgers pay too much attention to the original signature and forget to pay attention to what they're writing. If you're looking at the signature instead of your own pen and paper, your forgery is going to come out shaky and strange-looking. That's a dead giveaway that you've just signed someone else's signature.
    • If you don't have a lot of time to practice a signature before signing on the dotted line, your best bet is to first study the signature, taking note of all the important elements, and then sign it as naturally as possible while actually looking at what you're doing.
  2. Step 2 Don't retouch. 2 Don't retouch. Another big clue that a signature has been forged is when it's apparent that the signature was retouched. Think about it - do you go back and adjust your letters after signing your own name? No, you're probably fine with a slightly sloppily crossed "t" or a half-formed "b." It's abnormal to see spots where these natural errors have been painstakingly corrected.
  3. Step 3 Don't lift the pen. 3 Don't lift the pen. Again, think about how you sign your own name. You do it in one smooth motion, keeping your pen to the paper the whole time. A signature with little gaps indicating the person signing paused, picked up the pen, then started again is a big sign that it was forged. When you're forging a signature, avoid this big mistake and sign it as naturally as possible.[10]
  4. Step 4 Make each signature a little different. 4 Make each signature a little different. People don't sign their names the exact same way every time. It's easy to spot forgeries when you see a series of signatures on many different documents that all look exactly the same. This is a problem you can run into if you're using tracing paper to forge signatures. Be sure to do something a little different every time to make the signatures look authentic.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question Can I get away with forging? Community Answer Community Answer Yes, I've done it. You just have to practice a lot so the person's signature becomes second nature to you. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 36 Helpful 103
  • Question Will teachers get mad if you forge a signature? You're welcome You're welcome Community Answer Probably. It's showing disrespect and they won't trust you anymore. You could also get in big trouble with your parent or guardian. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 71 Helpful 107
  • Question How can I detect if someone forged my signature on a contract? Community Answer Community Answer Write your own signature and compare it with the signature the other person (possibly) wrote. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 34 Helpful 60
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Video

Tips

  • If you don't have tracing paper, holding both sheets up on a window during the day or an object giving off light works just as well. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 4
  • Copy the signature in question several times. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1
  • If someone suspects that it's forged play it off like you think they're joking and there's no way you'd forge it. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 5
Show More Tips Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review! Advertisement

Warnings

  • Don't try to forge the signatures of important people (e.g the president of your country). This can get you in even more legal trouble than a "regular" person. Thanks Helpful 52 Not Helpful 13
  • Don't press the pencil too hard or there will be a ridge on the paper that is being copied onto. Thanks Helpful 102 Not Helpful 33
  • When presenting the forged document, be confident and don't stress too much or you will give yourself away. Thanks Helpful 23 Not Helpful 8
  • Forging signatures is illegal. Thanks Helpful 11 Not Helpful 6
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Things You'll Need

  • Tracing Paper
  • An original copy of the signature
  • A pencil
  • A pen

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References

  1. ↑ Swetha Shenoy. Modern Calligraphy & Watercolor Artist. Expert Interview
  2. ↑ Swetha Shenoy. Modern Calligraphy & Watercolor Artist. Expert Interview
  3. ↑ Swetha Shenoy. Modern Calligraphy & Watercolor Artist. Expert Interview
  4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w-Tjd5DrS0
  5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w-Tjd5DrS0
  6. ↑ Swetha Shenoy. Modern Calligraphy & Watercolor Artist. Expert Interview
  7. ↑ https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg15921464-100-copies-of-forged-signatures-dont-fool-experts/
  8. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHBvWRu5z04
  9. ↑ Swetha Shenoy. Modern Calligraphy & Watercolor Artist. Expert Interview
More References (1)
  1. ↑ http://www.livescience.com/42781-is-your-signature-safe-how-to-avoid-forgery.html

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 59 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 739,552 times. 17 votes - 83% Co-authors: 59 Updated: November 4, 2025 Views: 739,552 Categories: Handwriting Article SummaryX

If you want to forge a signature using tracing paper, first place the sheet of paper over the original signature and lightly trace it with a pencil. Then, place the tracing paper over the space you want to copy it to, and go over the signature a little harder with a pencil to imprint the signature. As the lines will be very faint at this point, you should go over it with a pen. However, don’t take your pen off the page when going over it, to make the signature look realistic. You should also pay attention to how thick each line is and apply more force for the thicker lines. For more tips, including how to write a forged signature freehand, read on! Did this summary help you?YesNo

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About This Article

Co-authors: 59 Updated: November 4, 2025 Views: 739,552 83% of readers found this article helpful. 17 votes - 83% Click a star to add your vote Anonymous

Anonymous

Nov 17, 2017

"The video really helped me. I got some homework that's three weeks late, and my dad will probably kill me if..." more Anonymous

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"I scored badly on my science test and am scared my parents will wreck me. I don't want them to see my result..." more Rated this article: Anonymous

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"It helped me so much. I needed to copy my dad's signature to sign a test that I got a 13 on." Rated this article: Andy H.

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