Are official documents always signed in black ink?

[FountainPenCollectorToBe]

I have to sign a job offer letter and am wondering whether the custom is to sign in black ink. I heard this somewhere, but Google didn't yield much on this. I'm asking because my fountain pen is currently filled with blue-black ink, and I'd rather not change it if possible.

 

Thanks!

[ladyambrosia]

I have to sign a job offer letter and am wondering whether the custom is to sign in black ink. I heard this somewhere, but Google didn't yield much on this. I'm asking because my fountain pen is currently filled with blue-black ink, and I'd rather not change it if possible.

 

Thanks!

 

Most documents I have had to fill out or sign Blue or Black was accepted. I could be wrong but I think Blue-Black would be alright.

[yachtsilverswan]

In the United States, most legal documents are preferentially signed in blue ink - so that the original blue signature can be easily differentiated from photocopies which would show a black copied signature.

 

In medical records, black ink is preferred, because low bid institutional copy machines working on their default economy setting have trouble reproducing blue ink.

Edited February 16, 2010 by yachtsilverswan

[PenFisher]

In today's job market I would sign as quickly as possible! Congratulations on securing an offer in a difficult market! Blue-black should be just fine and I would not bother changing inks. Good luck

Edited February 16, 2010 by PenFisher

[PenFisher]

In today's job market I would sign as quickly as possible! Congratulations on securing an offer in a difficult market! Blue-black should be just fine and I would not bother changing inks. Good luck

 

 

 

Actually Noodler's makes Legal Lapis for Pendemonium that is archival in quality and a blue-black variety in color. I use this ink for signing anything that is a "formal" document. Congratulations again!

Edited February 16, 2010 by PenFisher

[bgray]

Whenever I sign something major, like my mortgage, or real-estate papers, loans, etc. it is almost always in blue ink so that they could tell an original from a copy.

[Gendo]

I recently signed a series of legal documents for my estate. I asked my attorney if blue was OK, and he said he preferred it to black for the reasons cited by others on this thread. It felt god signing my life away with a Visconti Van Gogh primed with Diamine Mediterranean Blue.

[Russ]

I sign with bulletproof black. If the document is that important, a careful eye can usually tell an original from a copy ... especially when a wet writer leaves enough ink to appear through the back side (!). Blue? I've had enough experience with copiers AND with blue ink (not the most permanent in the world) ... to stay with black.

[CraigR]

Congrats on the job offer! Unless advised otherwise, I would sign using your current pen and ink combination. Blue/black should be perfect.

 

Last week I was filling in some permit and plan requests for the city. They specify using a black ink because the documents are scanned and black works better for them. The lady at the desk said they have "always" asked for black ink even though the technology has changed many times over the years. She also said that I would be amazed at the variety of ink colors that customers would try to sign in. I answered that no, I would not be surprised at all. I open my leather pen wrap and selected a Parker 51 with Noodler's Old Manhattan Black for use with the forms. Her eyes opened wider when she saw the 5 other pens in the wrap, plus the one in my shirt pocket. Many colors? Oh, no surprise at all, M'am. /Craig

[Sandy1]

Hello,

I would stick with the Blue-Black.

 

[Off-Topic]

I've used Quink BlBk for donkey's years and no-one has ever raised an issue with the colour: bankers, accountance, notaries, real estate types, oil & gas, land rights, etc. etc.

 

If I were to change inks, it would be to the Montblanc BlBk, as it's more luscious and has enhanced permanence.

 

Also, for internal forms, someone wanted them completed in black. Well, I don't do black. Nope. No way. So I just faked it with R&K Verdegris from an <XF> nib. Then I got promoted, so rarely do much with forms anymore.

 

Best Regards,

Sandy1

[ladyambrosia]

Congrats on the job offer! Unless advised otherwise, I would sign using your current pen and ink combination. Blue/black should be perfect.

 

Last week I was filling in some permit and plan requests for the city. They specify using a black ink because the documents are scanned and black works better for them. The lady at the desk said they have "always" asked for black ink even though the technology has changed many times over the years. She also said that I would be amazed at the variety of ink colors that customers would try to sign in. I answered that no, I would not be surprised at all. I open my leather pen wrap and selected a Parker 51 with Noodler's Old Manhattan Black for use with the forms. Her eyes opened wider when she saw the 5 other pens in the wrap, plus the one in my shirt pocket. Many colors? Oh, no surprise at all, M'am. /Craig

 

Ha ha I got that same look when I filled out some medical forms the other day

[Chris]

The wrap of many colours... why does this sound strangely familiar?

 

Black, blue-black, blue (sober* not flamboyant) - fine

Intense dark purple, amost black - OK

Intense blue-green (Noodlers Air Corps) - OK

Brown - unsure

Bright green, orange, red, day-glow yellow - probably not going to make the best impression on your new employer who is already wondering what strange implement you used to sign the letter and looking for a way to invalidate your acceptance

 

Congratulations and keep with the ink you have.

Chris

 

edit * sober? I meant sombre!

Edited February 17, 2010 by Chris

[significantpass]

Blue black is fine, in my opinion.

[tmenyc]

Use the ink you want your new workmates to get used to seeing...

 

If you ever plan on invoicing a New York City agency (as one with long experience in this, check your sanity tank to make sure it's full before you start...), you better have blue in that pen.

 

Tim

[beluga]

Dark blue and black are both acceptable.

 

Originally, official documents were written and signed with registrar inks that were commonly gall-iron based and started off as blue and then later turned into blue-black and eventually near-black.

These formerly used iron-gall inks that may explain the preference for blue and black colours.

Prussian and Royal Blue were the inks that students in Europe were supposed to use and these colours were most likely chosen because ink stains could be washed out of clothes - something that mothers must have appreciated.

 

I would consider other ink colours acceptable too, as long as they were not too "flashy".

While I would not hesitate to use dark green for example, red was reserved for teachers to correct text passages (and homework assignments) and I would consider pink, aquamarine, South Seas blue and similar colours too lurid for your purpose.

 

 

If you use blue-black, that should just work fine and convey "class" in your choice of ink.

 

 

 

B.

Edited February 17, 2010 by beluga

[Bill]

While signing some documents yesterday, I was told that black was required in the state of Florida, after a few years where blue was used.

 

Bill

[Hemingway]

Reading all this illustrates why we carry the "wrap of many colors" ONLY because we want to be able to fulfill whatever new regulation regarding color choice some agency/office has cooked up recently ;-) I repeat: this is the ONLY reason why I NEED so many different inks.

 

Peter

[lapis]

Why not just ask the official in command which colour he prefers you use. Tell him that you do of course have blue, black and blue-black (as well as many other colours) in your collection. That might impress him.

 

Mike

[jleeper]

I have to sign a job offer letter and am wondering whether the custom is to sign in black ink. I heard this somewhere, but Google didn't yield much on this. I'm asking because my fountain pen is currently filled with blue-black ink, and I'd rather not change it if possible.

 

Thanks!

 

In this job market I'd sign it with the first thing I could find that wouldn't wipe off with the brush of a finger or a pencil eraser and get it back to you future employer ASAP. Heck, if I couldn't find anything else, I might sign in grape juice or my own blood.

 

As far as I know, in the USA there is absolutely no legal requirement for any particular ink color. I'd bet that a will signed with a hot pink Sharpie would be as valid as any other, as long as there was no one challenging the validity by saying the signature was forged, etc.

 

Certain agencies/offices may have their own requirements, but those are their own and have no bearing on what you sign other documents with.

 

Sign it in blue, blue-black, or black. Unless you use a near-florescent blue like Noodler's Baystate Blue, no one will think a second though other than that your signature is on the paper.

 

And heaven forbid, DO NOT ASK anyone at your future employer what color to use. That would be a great way to make your future boss think he'd just hired an indecisive and anal retentive employee.

Edited February 17, 2010 by jleeper

[Monophoto]

A bank teller once told me that checks absolutely, positively had to be written in blue or black. Now, the checks in brown, or green, or even red were deposited just a quickly (or slowly - depending whether they were payable to me or someone else).

 

The argument about differentiating between an original and a photocopy is legitimate.

 

I've heard it said (yup - one step above rumor) that because traditional registrar's ink tends to be a bluish black, that the preferred color for truly official documents is blue black. Tradition's a good thing - that's why I use fountain pens.