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If 10,000 Biters e-sign just one document each (and forgo the fax), we'll keep eight trees standing.

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home ›   tip library ›   E-signatures

Wanna write your name without uncapping a pen?

The Bite

No hand gestures necessary. Try an electronic signature service, so you won't have to print, fax, and overnight every contract that comes across your desk, just for the John Hancock. Read our lips: It's great for the environment.

The Benefits

  • Signing on to conserve resources. Paper production costs us trees, oil, and water, and  express mailings have a big CO2 tab.
  • A sign of smaller landfills to come. Nearly 400 million ink and 100 million toner cartridges end up in dumps each year.
  • The cash savings'll come in hand-y. By saving on paper and postage, you can afford a schmancy pen for the times when you actually do need to physically sign something.

Personally Speaking

We're not sure if we're supposed to tell you this, but a couple of us worked on Capitol Hill as college interns and forged signed for congresspersons on more than a couple occasions.

Wanna Try?

  • Docusign - paper-free contract service ($20/month and up).
  • Echosign - free service that tracks and files your docs as well as offers cyber-sigs.

Sep 29,2008


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All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.


Am I Really an Emotionally Restrained Optimist?

Dunno about you, but when I was first learning to write in cursive, I practiced most with my own signature, writing it over and over again in different ways. And if you compare my signature at age 7 and age 22 and age...um, today, they are vastly different. Left slanting, then straight up and down, and now...well, barely legible. You have to wonder about whether handwriting really does reflect aspects of your personality - which would make sense enough, since that changes too.

Anyway, before you perfect your own e-sig, check out this little article. I can't recommend it as the quintessential resource for such things, but hey, it's at least as interesting as some of the forwarded "funny" emails you're bound to get today.

-Jenifer Morgan...off to write it out...


Biter Comments...
I'm puzzled by how electronic signatures can be better for the environment. Isn't the equipment made of plastic? These wear out and at least pens are smaller and you can get refills for them. Not to mention they must use electricity to run where a pen doesn't. If you look at the cost of a refillable pen as opposed to electronic signatures I would guess that the pen has much less of an environmental impact.

Posted by: Celeste | September 29, 2008 at 06:33 PM

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