When the need to capture and record a handwritten signature both digitally and physically arises, the option of using an inking pen solution which enables the appearance of the signature on paper the same time the signature is captured electronically becomes relevant.

Although one of the main benefits of adopting electronic signature solutions ^[1] is going paperless, there are cases in which the use of paper is inevitable. For instance when the customer requires a printed receipt, in this case he will receive the signed hardcopy and the company would use the electronic copy of the receipt. This inking pen solution is also a valuable tool in countries or sectors where electronic signatures are not yet legally binding and require a physical archive of signed documents. Another possible scenario is when due to conservatism; a fully paperless process is still not accepted.

These inking pen solutions, despite the fact that they don’t fully eliminate paper processes, still hold many other benefits of the immediate electronic copy. Including improved document security, as the biometric signature traits which are unique to each person’s signature (pressure, speed, acceleration and angle) are collected when the document is electronically signed, enabling with the SIGNificant Biometric Server ^[2] the performance of a real-time biometric verification of the person’s signature in the future. In addition to a streamlined business process thanks to the use of the electronic document by the back office systems for real-time decision making or immediate electronic archiving. Finally this could be a first step towards the full elimination of paper as it is fairly easy to advance to a complete paperless solution if the circumstances would change in the future.

WIND Hellas ^[3], One of the largest telecommunications operators in Greece is using a simultaneous inking pen device with xyzmo SIGNificant’s solution ^[4] in their signature gathering process, in order to include a wet-ink signature on a hardcopy contract in addition to the electronic signature.