How to create your digital signature

Why creating a digital signature could be important?
Think about how many times you had to sign a digital document as it was made of paper.
In other occasions, during a design job, your customer have asked you to put on the brochure his signature, so that it looks like he has signed every single copy.
What can you do?
Scanning the real one is not enough because very often the quality is not high enough or the background is colored where the signature has been scanned on white paper.

We’ll see how to manage a scanned signature to make it suitable for all occurrences. You can follow these step to turn any handwritten signature into a high resolution drawing. In this way you will be able to use your signature everywhere without quality loss.

1. Scan image (or write with the pen tablet if you have one)
    
   Write your signature on a white paper and scan it at 1200 dpi in grayscale. The signature is now transferred on your pc as an image but with a very poor flexibility because of the white background that cover what is beneath and can't be used on colored background.
2. Open it in Photoshop
3. Press CTRL+L on your computer keyboard to open the Levels dialog or go to Image>Adjustments>Levels and adjust the lights and shadows so that you get the best possible result.
   
    
4. Transform the document in a Bitmap color method going to Image>Mode>Bitmap. A new dialog opens. Check for a good resolution.
   
    
5. Now save your signature as a TIF image. This is a very important step because TIF images can be managed in a particular useful way with DTP software such as Indesign.
   
    
6. Now that you have the signature saved as TIF open Indesign, a new document or that one where you need to put in the signature.
7. Select File>Place
    
   The signature is now inside the document but the main important aspect is that you can decide and change its color as many time as you want or need!
8. Use the Direct Selection Tool (A), the white arrow, to select the signature object and choose a color from the swatches.
   
   The background is transparent and you can put the signature where you prefer.
    

Saving in TIF is useful also if you have, for example, a monochrome logo that, potentially, you have to use in different colors but you are annoyed by saving every single color version. Saving it as a TIF you will be able to change the color directly inside the DTP software.
Please comment and share other methods to better save signatures!