# Sign In Blue Ink Only? WTF? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 23, 2009, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004 "2009-07-23T15:34:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004/21 "2009-07-23T18:25:17Z")
> [@mack](#): > > Maybe in 10 years we’ll just spit on documents and have DNA scanners verify it. Maybe we’ll determine whether that was sarcasm or serious input! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004/22 "2009-07-23T19:21:26Z")
Or too many viewings of Gattaca. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004/23 "2009-07-23T19:30:58Z")
> [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](#): > > \ As you can see, nothing about ink color. \ I’m not sure what your post was intended to prove- that I was wrong about Cook County? Whoop-dee-doo. Maybe you missed the part of my post where I indicated all counties’ recording requirements differ. My post was in response to the OP, which asked why the law firm requested blue ink signatures only. One possible reason, I posited, was that it was a requirement of the recording office. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004/24 "2009-07-23T19:32:18Z")
**Kimmy** , you might be surprised to learn that you aren’t always entirely correct. 😉 For example, [here is the official self-help guide from the Judicial Council of California](http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp/forms/tips.htm)regarding the filling out of court forms. Notice tip #5: “Sign each form where your signature is requested. Use blue or black ink only.” [Here is a discussion on a message board for notaries where they discuss requirements for signature colors.](http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3453) A cursory search of the California Code did not turn up a statute on the matter, but the Judicial Council of California site is replete with statements that blue and black ink are required, so it may be buried in the Rules of Court. At the very least, it appears that one might have to reference more than just the UCC. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004/25 "2009-07-23T19:43:15Z")
> [@Michael\_of\_Lucan](#): > > \*(or indeed “color” if you are a merkin and can’t spell correctly.) For a pubic-hair wig to spell at all would be impressive indeed. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004/26 "2009-07-23T20:04:51Z")
Back when I was in the Navy, only black-ink government-issue pens were used. Everything written in ink was supposed to be black. In fact, when I was going through NROTC, I once had to get something signed by my platoon commander. He didn’t have a pen, so I offered him a blue pen, which he looked at in disgust and promptly threw in the trash, and told me to go find a black ink pen. :dubious: When I got out of the Navy, I continued using black pens. This continued until the following incident occurred: I submitted an application to my state Department of Environmental Protection, which required that two original applications be submitted (no copies). I did this, but all of the signatures were in black ink. Six weeks later, I received notice that my application was being held up because I had supposedly not submitted two original applications (which I had, of course). That’s when I realized the advantage of blue ink pens. I exclusively use blue ink pens now. It makes it far easier to recognize original signatures. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004/27 "2009-07-23T20:30:11Z")
> [@](#): > > “[t]he traditional form of signature is of course the name of the signer, handwritten in ink. But initials, thumbprint or an arbitrary code sign may also be used; and the signature may be written in pencil, typed, printed, made with a rubber stamp, or impressed into the paper.” Id., cmt. (a). For what it’s worth, Stephen Hawking’s usual signature is his thumbprint. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004/28 "2009-07-23T20:38:33Z")
These are The Binder & Binder guys helping me with SSDI, so if they want blue, guess I better give 'em blue, or they’ll just keep shooting those docs back to me. I just had no idea and always thought “blue or black” was okay, but the differentiation from photo-copied documents make sense. I am glad I checked with y’all, 'cause they might have called me, and it might have been on one of my “rage” days. (Few and far between, but they do still occur). 😉 Thanks Quasi ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004/29 "2009-07-23T21:11:52Z")
My dad was a must sign in _ **BLACK ONLY** _ kind of person. He thought it looked more official that way. It was a real pisser trying to figure out which copy of his will was the real one and which were the photocopies. Now I sign everything in blue so I know which is the original at a glance. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004/30 "2009-07-23T22:52:31Z")
[QUOTE=sweeteviljesus] When are they going to recognize digital signatures? [/QUOTE] About nine years ago. President Clinton signed Senate Bill 761, the Electronic Signature in Global and National Commerce (E-Sign) Act on June 30, 2000 with a smart card. Not sure who authenticated that first smart card, though. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004/31 "2009-07-23T23:12:29Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > Who are “they”…? Some digital signatures are accepted by various companies. They accept them and all inherent risks, which they must deem to be low enough to be worth it. > An ink signature isn’t a guarantee the person is legit either. Maybe a fingerprint would help. My hazy memory of Asian History suggests that Chinese courts of law used thumbprints before the Roman Empire to identify document, especially courtroom documents & written testamony. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004/32 "2009-07-24T01:11:17Z")
I once received a check written and signed in gold ink. The bank refused to honor it. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004/33 "2009-07-24T02:10:24Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > I know that many, if not all, county recording offices have very specific requirements for filing a doucment in the public record, and they’re all different\*. The first page of a contract to be recorded has to have a minumum of 1" margin on the sides and bottom, with a 3.5" margin at the top, and the contract must be signed in blue ink; that sort of thing. > > \*Hyperbole. The point is, if you want to record it in X county, you must follow X county’s instructions to a T, or forget it. In the suburban counties around New York City, this is the case. Some of them require documents to be recorded in the county land records to be signed in black ink, and others require blue ink. (It doesn’t matter for the counties in the City of New York.) Some of it has to do with the methods they use to archive the documents, although I would suspect there is a large dose of the perversity of county clerks thrown in. In any event, the title company closers usually are good about making sure us clueless lawyers follow the requirements. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004/34 "2009-07-24T03:23:35Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > I once received a check written and signed in gold ink. The bank refused to honor it. I once endorsed a check in silver ink. The bank required me to endorse it again, and so I used their black ink pen. Currently, in my purse, is a pen with a very thick barrel. It has to be thick, as it has 10 (count them, 10!) different colored ink barrels. Yes, I do use them all. My husband is a gummint employee, and has to sign lots of documents, and then make copies of them. He uses blue ink on the originals, for the same reason everyone else does. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004/35 "2009-07-24T06:54:54Z")
**WOW!** **Lynn Bodoni** In one of **my** threads! How awesome is **that???** Thanks Q ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004/36 "2009-07-24T15:46:29Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Currently, in my purse, is a pen with a very thick barrel. It has to be thick, as it has 10 (count them, 10!) different colored ink barrels. Yes, I do use them all. I got one of those for my birthday when I was what’s now called a tween. It looked like a rocket ship–I loved it. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004/37 "2009-07-24T15:56:19Z")
I had one, too. I miss that pen. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004/38 "2009-07-24T16:03:58Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Signing in blue easily identifies photocopies. Maybe not. If you put a doc with black ink and a blue sig in our copier, it will reproduce it in color unless you force it to be black only. And the copy is a faithful repro of the mixed color original. Traditionally, blue, but _light_ blue, was used for markup in print shops, as the cameras didn’t pick it up. Early copiers were blind to it, too, but modern ones can reproduce it just fine. A nearby drugstore had a sale yesterday, a 10-pack of blue pens for .19. I was suspicious that their advertised price omitted an "ea", so I went in to buy a pack. I bought 10 pens for .19 plus a penny tax, so they weren’t lying. However, when I brought them in to our real estate office, our office manager held up a cross when she saw the blue pens and told me to get them out of there. She worries that signing docs with blue will cause the copier to go into much more costly color mode and run up a big bill. Just for kicks, I wrote on a scrap of paper with both a black ballpoint and the blue. Both lines reproduced perfectly on the copier when in black-only mode. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004/39 "2009-07-24T16:10:11Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Maybe not. If you put a doc with black ink and a blue sig in our copier, it will reproduce it in color unless you force it to be black only. I’m surprised you don’t have a dedicated B&W copier and/or keep your color copier in B&W mode by default. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-in-blue-ink-only-wtf/504004.md?page=1)