A good signature image is mostly about the paper and the pen. The file size takes care of itself once the picture is clean.
Many application forms ask for a signature as a small image file, often in JPG format and often with a limit of a few tens of kilobytes. Some also state a size in centimetres and ask for dark ink on white paper. Always read your form's instructions, because the numbers change between exams and between years.
As an example, a 2026 guide to the SSC CGL form lists a signature of 10 to 20 KB at about 4 cm by 2 cm in JPEG format. Treat that as an illustration, and check the notification for the exact values that apply to you.
Use a black or dark blue pen with a clear, medium line. A thin or light pen scans faintly and a thick felt-tip bleeds into a blob. Sign on plain white paper with no lines, so the scan does not have to show lines, which add noise and weight.
Sign the same way you sign on your documents. Forms often compare the image with your other records, so a different style can cause trouble later.
Put the paper on a flat surface in bright, even light, and photograph or scan it from directly above so the paper is square to the camera. Avoid shadows from your phone or your hand.
If your phone has a document-scan mode, use it in black-and-white; it whitens the paper and darkens the ink, which is exactly what a small signature file wants.
Crop tightly around the signature with a small margin. Extra white space is cheap, but cropping first means the signature, not the empty page, gets the pixels.
Then reduce the file to the size the form allows. The signature resizer linked below does this in your browser and keeps the strokes sharp by lowering quality only as far as needed.
The most frequent problems are a signature that is too small to read, a grey or coloured background instead of white, a photo with shadows across it and a file in the wrong format.
Also avoid typing your name in a font or placing a signature stamp, which many forms specifically reject. Check the preview at full size before you submit.
It depends on the form. Many ask for tens of kilobytes, such as 10 to 20 KB. Check your own form's instructions for the exact limit.
Usually not. Most forms ask for a handwritten signature photographed or scanned on white paper, and reject typed or digitally drawn ones.
Black or dark blue on plain white paper gives the clearest scan. Check the form in case it specifies the colour.
Only with a tool that does not upload it. Tooqly resizes in your browser, so your signature never leaves your device.