Are typed initials as valid as handwritten ones?

For ordinary agreements, typed initials added with the intent to sign count as an electronic signature mark. Documents with stricter rules, such as wills, are a different matter.

Should my initials match my signature?

They don't have to look alike. They should be recognisably yours and identical on every page of the document.

My name uses letters outside the Latin alphabet. What should I do?

Draw your initials on the signature pad or add a photo of them. Drawn and photographed initials show exactly what you wrote.

Where are my saved initials stored?

Initials and signatures you make on the signature pad are kept in your browser on that device, not on our servers. Clearing the browser's site data removes them.

What does it cost to create and use initials here?

Making initials costs nothing, and the ones you save stay in your browser at no charge. You pay only to download a PDF with them on it: €2.99 for a month or €24.99 for a year of downloads. Cancelling stops the renewal, and you can keep downloading until the paid period runs out.

Create your initials typed, drawn or from a photo

Before you can initial a PDF you need initials to place: a small mark that's clearly yours and looks the same on every page. There are four ways to make one, from typed capitals to a photo of your own handwriting. Here's how each works, which letters to use when your name isn't simple, and how to keep the result crisp at footer size.

Four ways to make themWhich letters to useCrisp at a small size

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1Decide on the lettersUsually first-name and last-name initials, plus a middle initial if you use one.
2Create the markType it, draw it, type it in a handwriting style, or add a photo.
3Size and place itShrink it to fit the initials box, then repeat it on every page.

For contracts that want initials on every page and a full signature at the end: set up your initials once, repeat them in the same corner of each page with one click, then sign the last page.

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Four ways, compared

Typed

“Add Initials” sets your letters in plain capitals. Clean, legible, done in two seconds.

Drawn

Write them with a finger, stylus or mouse on the signature pad. Looks like your pen initials.

Typed in a handwriting style

Type your initials in the signature pad and pick one of four script styles.

From a photo

Write them in ink on white paper, photograph them and add the image.

Saved for next time

Initials you draw or type on the signature pad are kept in this browser, up to five sets, ready for the next document.

Placed on every page

Typed, drawn and handwriting-style initials can be repeated in the same spot on all pages with “Place on every page”.

Creating initials: questions

Are typed initials as valid as handwritten ones?: For ordinary agreements, typed initials added with the intent to sign count as an electronic signature mark. Documents with stricter rules, such as wills, are a different matter.
Should my initials match my signature?: They don't have to look alike. They should be recognisably yours and identical on every page of the document.
My name uses letters outside the Latin alphabet. What should I do?: Draw your initials on the signature pad or add a photo of them. Drawn and photographed initials show exactly what you wrote.
Where are my saved initials stored?: Initials and signatures you make on the signature pad are kept in your browser on that device, not on our servers. Clearing the browser's site data removes them.
What does it cost to create and use initials here?: Making initials costs nothing, and the ones you save stay in your browser at no charge. You pay only to download a PDF with them on it: €2.99 for a month or €24.99 for a year of downloads. Cancelling stops the renewal, and you can keep downloading until the paid period runs out.

Updated 28 September 2026 · Written by Joe Farwick, who runs this site

Which letters to use

For most people it's two capitals: the first letter of the first name and of the last name, so Jane Doe initials as JD. If you normally use a middle initial, or your signature block shows your middle name, three letters (JMD) keep things consistent. With or without full stops doesn't matter, as long as every page matches.

Some names need a decision. A double-barrelled surname such as Smith-Jones can become MSJ or MS-J; a compound first name such as Jean-Pierre is usually JP; surnames with particles, like van der Merwe, are often written with the particle in lower case, such as JvdM. There's no single correct form. Pick the one you'd write by hand and keep using it.

Typed initials

In the InitialPDF editor, choose “Add Initials”, type the letters and they're placed on the page in capitals. Typed initials are the most legible option at a small size and a common choice in electronic documents. They count as a signature mark when you add them intending to sign: the US ESIGN Act defines an electronic signature as a symbol adopted with the intent to sign, and the Law Commission for England and Wales notes that people may type their name or initials at the bottom of an electronic document as a way of signing it.

Drawn initials

If you'd rather the page shows your handwriting, open the signature pad, choose Draw and write your initials instead of your name. On a phone, a finger works well; turn the phone sideways for more room. Write them larger than you need, filling most of the pad, and shrink them afterwards: small, cramped strokes look shaky once they're scaled down.

Pick a dark ink colour. Black or dark blue both read well on screen and on a printout; light colours fade to grey when printed.

Typed in a handwriting style

The signature pad's Type tab offers four handwriting-style fonts. Type your initials rather than your full name and choose the style that looks closest to how you write. It's a middle ground between plain capitals and drawing, and it's handy on a laptop without a touchscreen, where drawing with a trackpad rarely looks good.

Initials from a photo

Write your initials in dark ink on plain white paper, photograph them in good, even light and crop the photo tightly around the letters. Then use “Add Photo” to place the image (PNG, JPEG and WebP work) and resize it. A photo keeps its background, so a white rectangle comes with it: place it in blank margin space rather than over text. If you have an image editor, a PNG with a transparent background avoids the white box altogether.

One limitation to know before you choose this route: “Place on every page” repeats typed initials and initials made on the signature pad, but not photos. A photo has to be added to each page by hand, which is fine for a two-page letter and tedious for a 20-page lease. For long documents, draw or type your initials instead.

Getting the size right

Initials in a footer box usually look right at roughly the height of two lines of text. Too small and they're hard to read on a printout; too large and they spill over the box or the text next to it. Size them once on the first page before you repeat them, because every copy will be the same size.

Creating initials in other apps

On a Mac, Preview's Sign button lets you create a signature with the trackpad, the built-in camera or a nearby iPhone or iPad; write your initials instead of your name and it's saved for reuse. Adobe Acrobat lets you type, draw or add an image, and keeps the signature and initials you create. DocuSign asks you to adopt initials separately from your signature the first time you select an Initial field, with the same choice of a style, drawing or an uploaded image.

Sources

Make them once, use them everywhere

The mark you create is reused on every page you initial.

Decide on the letters

Usually first-name and last-name initials, plus a middle initial if you use one.

Create the mark

Type it, draw it, type it in a handwriting style, or add a photo.

Size and place it

Shrink it to fit the initials box, then repeat it on every page.

Related guides

Create your initials now

Open a PDF above, make your initials once and place them on every page.

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