If you’ve ever wished your pen plotter could produce clean, professional, and consistent handwritten signatures—great news! With the iDraw H SE Pen Plotter, creating automated signatures is not only possible, but incredibly easy once you prepare a clean SVG version of your handwriting.
In this guide, you’ll learn step-by-step how to turn your handwritten signature into a smooth SVG file using Inkscape, then apply it directly with the iDraw H SE Pen Plotter. Each step includes a dedicated image placeholder, so you can follow along visually and replicate the workflow exactly.
Whether you want to sign artwork prints, contracts, certificates, letters, or branded marketing materials, this tutorial helps you create a flawless digital signature that still looks authentically handwritten.
Why Use a Pen Plotter for Your Signature?
Today, more artists, designers, small business owners, and creators use pen plotters to automate their signature workflow. Here’s why:
- Consistency: Every signature remains identical, neat, and professional.
- Efficiency: No more signing hundreds of papers manually.
- Authenticity: A pen plotter still uses a real pen—your signature looks genuinely handwritten.
- Precision: SVG vectors ensure smooth curves and natural pen movement.
- Scalability: Sign 10 documents—or 10,000—without fatigue.
Among all plotters available, the UUNA TEK iDraw H SE Pen Plotter is especially popular because of its accuracy, stability, and smooth handwriting performance.
Now, let’s walk through the full process of creating your perfect signature.
Before You Begin: Install the iDraw User Extension for Inkscape
Before moving on to the conversion and plotting steps, make sure you have installed the iDraw User Extension for Inkscape. This extension is essential for enabling direct control of your iDraw H SE pen plotter from Inkscape. Without it, some of the key functions—such as sending the SVG file to the plotter or adjusting plotter-specific settings—may not work properly. If you haven’t installed it yet, follow the official guide here: How to Install User Extension for Inkscape | iDraw Tutorials. Completing this step ensures that all the upcoming operations run smoothly.
Step-by-Step Tutorial: Creating a Signature SVG with Inkscape
Below are the original five steps—kept exactly as written—expanded with helpful tips, SEO-friendly explanations, and best practices.
1. You have a photo of your signature. Open it with Inkscape.
Start by writing your signature naturally on white paper using your preferred pen. Take a clear photograph or scan it. Make sure:
- The signature is not blurry
- The lighting is even
- The background is bright
- The strokes are clearly visible
Open the image in Inkscape, which is a free and powerful vector graphics tool perfect for creating SVG signatures.
This first step sets the foundation: the cleaner the original signature photo, the easier it will be to trace.
2. Use the Pen Tool and select Create BSpline Path. Use as many points as possible to trace your signature. Below is my traced version. You can see I used many points and placed them in the center of each stroke.
This is the most important step—turning your handwritten signature into a smooth vector path.
Why use BSpline Path?
The BSpline mode in Inkscape creates beautifully smooth curves, perfect for signatures. It helps avoid unwanted sharp corners and produces a natural handwriting feel.
How to trace your signature:
- Select the Pen (Bezier) Tool.
- Change the mode to BSpline Path.
- Zoom in closely for accuracy.
- Start placing points along the centerline of each stroke.
- Use as many points as needed to capture the natural flow.
Most users under-trace their signature. But for pen plotters, more points = smoother writing movement.
After finishing, zoom in and check for any irregularities. You should see a clean outline that resembles your original handwriting but is smoother and more consistent.
3. Delete the original image and keep only the vector path. Set the document size as small as possible, then scale your signature to fit the page. This way, you will only need to move the pen holder to the desired position when signing.
Once your signature path is complete:
- Delete the original photo
- Clean up any stray points or artifacts
- Adjust the canvas size (File → Document Properties)
- Make the page just large enough to contain your signature
- Resize the vector if needed
A tidy document ensures the iDraw H SE Pen Plotter will process the file correctly and position your signature precisely.
Pro Tip:
Keep your SVG signature centered on the page.
This makes positioning much easier when using the machine.
4. Prepare the machine, the document that needs a signature, and your pen. Install everything correctly. Move the pen holder to the signing position, then choose Extensions > iDraw HSE Control > Apply to start writing.
Now it’s time for the fun part—letting your iDraw H SE Pen Plotter sign automatically.
Preparing your machine:
- Mount the pen securely in the holder
- Place the document on the plotter’s platform
- Fix it with clips or magnets if needed
- Move the pen manually to the precise signing area
On Inkscape:
Open the signature SVG and go to:
Extensions → iDraw HSE Control → Apply
The plotter will begin writing your signature stroke by stroke, replicating the exact natural curves of your vector file.
This allows you to sign:
- Certificates
- Art prints
- Photo books
- Important documents
- Business letters
- Holiday cards
- Branded packaging
—all with perfect consistency.
5. Final Result
You should now have a beautifully handwritten-looking signature created automatically by the iDraw H SE Pen Plotter. The result is elegant, smooth, and professional—ideal for any formal or creative purpose.
Most importantly, the signature still feels personal and authentic because it starts from your real handwriting.
Final Thoughts: A Simple Workflow with Professional Results
Using Inkscape together with the UUNA TEK iDraw H SE Pen Plotter gives you the perfect balance of convenience and authenticity. Once you create your SVG signature, you can reuse it forever—saving time and ensuring perfect consistency for every project.
This workflow is especially valuable for:
- Artists
- Creators
- Small business owners
- Print shops
- Designers
- Calligraphers
- Stationery brands
If you want your signature to look natural, elegant, and handcrafted—but don’t want to manually sign hundreds of documents—this method is your new best friend.