How to add a Blog Post Signature

Have you seen some blog posts with cute and curly signatures at the end? Like the one above from Tessie Design Company? Gillian is super clever and I know she draws many of her pictures on a tablet so she may have drawn her cute signature too. But you can have a clever signature with a free software like Picasa and a little blog know-how. Here’s how to add a blog post signature to Blogger or WordPress.

Make your Text Image using Skitch

• Open a new picture in Picasa: File > New
• Set your colour on the right side
• Choose the Text tool on the left (it looks like a small letter a)
• Type your text
• Open the Font tool on the right side to change the font. Remember you want it to be the right size to go on your blog posts.
• If you want more than one font, each one must be in a separate text box. Then you can drag them as close to each other as you want.
• You can also use separate boxes if you want words to be centered, different colours or close to each other.
• Once you are happy with your text, you will want to make your picture as small as you can without cutting off the edges of the text. Click on the corners of the picture and drag it to make it smaller.
• Now you need to make the background clear: Under the Image Menu (at top of screen) choose “Background Color to Transparent”. It will look like a grey and white checkerboard on your editing screen but it will be clear when you put it in your post so your blog background colour will show through.
• Rename the file at the bottom of the screen, then click “Drag Me” and drag the file to your Desktop or into a folder to save it on your computer.

Adding the Signature to your Blog Posts

You could upload the image to each blog post as you write it just as you would add any image to a post in Blogger or WordPress. But it can be added automatically for you in Blogger. First create a new blog post and load the signature into it. Then save it, but don’t publish it. Look in the HTML tab for the post and copy the HTML code in there. You’ll need that to put that code into the Blogger post template.

Editing the Blogger Post Template

• In your Blogger Dashboard, click on Settings then Posts and Comments.
• One of the boxes in that screen is the Post Template. You can put text or HTML code into there and it will then appear in every new post you write.
• Paste in the code you just copied from your signature post, then “Save Settings” at the top of the screen.
• To check it is working, click “New Post” to open a new post screen. You should see the signature already there. You just write your post above it as usual.

Adding a Signature to Posts in WordPress

The easiest way to add a signature in WordPress is with a plugin like WP Post Signature or WordPress Signature. I have not tried out these plugins so back up your blog first – just in case.

If you are keen, you can edit your PHP code to add the signature automatically without the plugin. Again, I haven’t tried this but there are instructions in this blog post over at SumTips.

So do you have a blog signature? Or are you off to make one? I’d love to see it!