A signature is a handwritten representation of a person's name. Writing a signature is the established method for authentication and for expressing deliberate decisions of the signer in many areas of life, such as banking or the conclusion of legal contracts. A closely related concept is a handwritten personal sign depicting something else than a person's name. As compared to text-independent writer recognition methods, signature/sign recognition goes with shorter handwriting probes but requires writing the same name or personal sign every time. Handwritten signatures and personal signs belong to the behavioral biometric characteristics as the person must become active for signing. Regarding the automated recognition of handwritten signatures, there is a distinction between online signatures and offline signatures.
