Adding a Signature to a Letter of Recommendation

As you know, a signature is an important component of a letter of recommendation.  Interfolio does not require a signature however we know from our experience working with admissions offices and hiring committees that letters with a signature are preferred and occasionally required by the institution.  If you have questions, you should ask the person for whom you are writing the letter if there is a signature requirement.

If you are submitting a hard copy of your letter to Interfolio, including your signature is easy.  Just sign the printed document with a pen.  However, adding a signature to a letter that will be upload electronically becomes a little more challenging.  

Creating a Digital Image of your Signature

The first step in adding a signature to a document is to create a digital image of your signature.  There are a few ways you can do this.

·      Do you have a scanner?  If so, you can sign a piece of paper and then scan the page.  By cropping the part of the page surrounding your signature, you can make an image file of it.  Save that image on to your computer so you can use it in your letters.

·      Use the Interfolio Fax2Sig functionality.  Interfolio offers a service where you download an official "Fax2Sig" form, print it, sign in the designated box and then fax the form back to Interfolio.  To create your signature this way, log in to your Interfolio account, and click on the My Signature link in the navigation.

·      Use the Interfolio Mouse2Sig functionality.  Did you know you can use your mouse as a pen?  Well, if you use Interfolio's Mouse2Sig feature, you can sign your name by holding down your mouse button and using your mouse as a pen.  We'll be honest - this does not produce the best John Hancock result but in a pinch, if you don't have access to a fax machine or scanner, it is better than nothing and can be used as a placeholder until you can create a better quality image.

Inserting a Signature to your Electronic Document

As soon as you have written your letter, you are ready to insert the image of your signature into your document.  Technically, you will be using the “insert” function to place the image of your signature into your word processing file.  It might be tempting to use the copy and paste function but often this results in unsuccessful image placement.  Using the "insert" function will place the image properly.

Once you have inserted your signature into your document, save your document on to your computer.  Now you are ready to upload the document into Interfolio.