Autopen

An automatic pen, or autopen (informally known as a signing machine), is a mechanical device used for the replicated signing of a human signature.

Prominent individuals may be asked to provide their signatures many times a day, such as celebrities receiving requests for autographs, or politicians signing documents and correspondence in their official capacities. Consequently, many public figures employ autopens to allow their signature to be printed on demand and without their direct involvement.

Twenty-first-century autopens are machines programmed with a signature subsequently reproduced by a motorized mechanical arm.

Given the similarity to the real hand signature, the use of an autopen allows for plausible deniability as to whether a famous autograph is real or reproduced, thus increasing the perception of the personal value of the signature by the recipient. However, known or suspected autopen signatures are also vastly less valuable as philographic collectibles; legitimate hand-signed documents from individuals known also to use an autopen usually require verification and provenance to be considered valid. In 2005, the United States Department of Justice responded to an inquiry regarding the use of autopen by the President of the United States, finding its use consistent with the language found in Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution.

Early autopens used a plastic (PMMA) matrix of the original signature, which is a channel cut into an engraved plate in the shape of a wheel. A stylus driven by an electric motor followed the x- and y-axis of a profile or shape engraved in the plate. The stylus is mechanically connected to an arm which can hold almost any common writing instrument, so that one's pen and ink can be used to suggest authenticity. The autopen signature is made with even pressure and indentation in the paper, which is how these machines are distinguishable from original handwriting where the pressure varies.