What Is an Autopen?
An autopen signs with a real pen, which is exactly why collectors need to know how to recognize one.
Published · 5 min read · By CollectorFish
A machine that signs with a real pen
An autopen is a machine that reproduces a signature by moving a real pen across paper, following a stored pattern of the person’s signature. Because the ink is real, an autopen signature can look hand-signed at first glance: it isn’t printed and it may even leave an impression in the paper.
Autopens have long been used by people who receive more signature requests than they could ever answer by hand. Government offices, public figures and some celebrities and astronauts have used them for correspondence, photographs and fan mail. Many legitimate documents are signed this way; the machine isn’t deceptive in itself. It becomes a problem when an autopen signature is sold as hand-signed.
Signs collectors look for
- Even pressure and line width throughout, without the natural variation of a hand speeding up and slowing down.
- Blunt starts and stops, sometimes with a small dot of ink where the pen lowered and lifted.
- Slight wobbles or shaky curves in places where a confident hand would move smoothly.
- Exact repeats: if two signatures overlay perfectly, they were almost certainly made from the same pattern. Human signatures always vary a little.
None of these on its own proves anything, and an experienced examiner considers them together, often by comparing against known autopen patterns for that person.
Where autopen signatures turn up
Autopen signatures are especially common on fan-mail replies, official photographs and letters. If an item came through the mail from a busy office or an official address, consider the possibility before assuming it was hand-signed.
Related look-alikes
Autopens are one of several ways a signature can be reproduced. Preprints are printed as part of the item; stamps are inked impressions; secretarial signatures are signed by an assistant. Read autopen vs. hand-signed for a side-by-side comparison and what a preprint autograph is.
If you are unsure, ask the seller how the item was obtained before you buy. CollectorFish listings show authentication details stated by the seller; CollectorFish does not authenticate items.
This guide is general collector education, not a guarantee of authenticity or value. CollectorFish does not currently authenticate or appraise items.
Related guides
A practical comparison of machine-signed and hand-signed autographs, and the other look-alikes worth knowing.
A preprinted signature is part of the print itself. It can look convincing in a frame, but it isn’t an autograph.
Authentication is an expert opinion about whether a signature is genuine. Here is how it works and what it can and can’t promise.
Most problems can be avoided before you pay. Here is what to check, what to ask and how to pay.
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