ACADEMY: E-SIGNING Signature Capturing Technology

Signature Capturing Technology

Some technical background on suitable technologies for signature capturing like electro-magnetic resonance

SOFTPRO provides an extensive overview about supported
Capturing Devices

SOFTPRO recommends using capturing devices that operate on Electro-Magnetic Resonance (EMR). There is no better technology to capture "clean" signatures, evidential and high in quality. Signing with EMR is very ergonomic: Signers can comfortably rest their hands on a tablet's surface without affecting the signature quality.

Pioneering Electro Magnetic Resonance: Wacom

SOFTPRO hardware partner Wacom provides Electro-Magnetic Resonance Technology (EMR) technology under the label "Penabled". Their technology is integrated into devices with and without LCD screens. Wacom is the global market leader in pen tablets with 85% market share and experience in pen technology since 1983 – the same year when SOFTPRO was founded.

Hundreds of Thousands Wacom Signature Tablets have been installed already worldwide in various industries like banking, retail, government, telecommunication, postal services, service industry,… Wacom: Explanation of EMR

Electro-Magnetic Resonance

Sandwich Structure of a Signature Pad or other Signature Capturing Devices based on Wacom Electromagnetic Resonance Technology - © Image: Wacom zoom Sandwich Structure of a Signature Pad or other Signature Capturing Devices based on Wacom Electromagnetic Resonance Technology - © Image: Wacom

zoom image: Sandwich Structure of a Signature Pad or other Signature Capturing Devices based on Wacom Electromagnetic Resonance Technology - © Image: Wacom

Sandwich Structure of a Signature Pad or other Signature Capturing Devices based on Wacom Electromagnetic Resonance Technology - © Image: Wacom

Beneath the surface of the pad there are horizontally and vertically oriented antennas, moving within microseconds between transmission and reception mode. Electro-magnetic waves enable to determine the position of the pen using triangulation. An electro-magnetic signal stimulates a resonant circuit comprising coil and capacitor in the pen to oscillate.

The resonant circuit behind the pen tip is supplied with the pressure on the pen tip and serves as a transmitter. The received signal passes through the modulator to the chip. The information from the pressure sensor (capacity) of the side switch go to the chip. From there they enter the modulator, which returns a signal to the resonant circuit in the tip. From there it is sent back to the tablet – for example in a SignPad.
  • no battery required: no hassle with leaking or empty batteries
  • no cord required to carry an electronic signal
  • Since no electronic signals are passed through the pen tether, pen operation cannot be affected by damage to the tether

Resistive Touch

Alternative methods to electromagnetic resonance are based on touch response. Different terms are used for this technology. For example "touch-sensitive resistance" or "force sensing resistors". The abbreviation "touch pad” is very common.  

With this technology, the sensor consists of a sandwich of two conductive coated plastic film. This sandwich is as a top layer on the signature pad. The action of pressure changes the electrical resistance of the sandwich. The detection of the location and intensity of pressure is thus on changes in distance between the two plastic sheets by the pin.  

The technology is less reliable which shows in demanding environments where high volumes of signatures need to be captured like at the point of sale. As a consequence some manufacturers either exclude touch sensors from completly their warranty in total or exclude in an unprecise matter the "normal war and tear". Signature pads and tablets based on this technology tend to degradate faster. Little wonder why usually their warranty is limited to two years, while SignPads come with a three years guarantee.

Comparison Electro Magnetic Resonance & Resistive Touch

There are four major benefits when choosing devices with electro magnetic resonance instead of those based on resistive touch technology.
  • Durability It is not possible to equip the surface of the pad with a fully durable and scratch-resistant glass surface. Some pads only have a simple plastic foil covering the surface, When signing, this plastic foil bends which can be seen when looking onto the tablet form a shallow angle. The plastic foil can easily be scratched or damaged and signatures do not look natural and like given on paper.
  • Accuracy: Drawing straight lines may not automatically result in straight lines captured as data. The precision of locating the pen is not high enough and results into data being capture inexact. In extremis the signatures captured on these devices are so different from the signatures of persons given on paper that they should not be accepted as legally binding signatures of a person at all.
  • Pressure Levels: Very reliable capturing, calibrated and evenly spread without interpolation. The quality of captured signature data is easily recognized when signatures run through an automatic verification process for example using SOFTPRO SDK SignWare.
  • Color Transmission: A display with of a pad with a EMR sensor below looks brighter and crisper for a longer time.

Dual Input Mode Devices: Active Pen and Touch

Some Tablets use a combination of active digitizer and touch technology. HP and Lenovo offer the option to order Tablet PCs that leverage Wacom's Reversing Ramped Field Capacitive (RRFC™) touch technology too. They have two sensors: one for pen with electro-magnetic resonance another for inger touch. When using such a device make sure the pen sensor is activated (similar to devices where you can choose between track ball and touchpad as substitue for a mouse).

Samsung Galaxy Note S Pen Samsung Galaxy Note S Pen

Wacom Digitizers in Smartphones and Tablets

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The In 2011 Wacom's digital pen technology ("Penabled") was integrated in the first smart phone: The "S-Pen" in the Samsung Galaxy Note is an active digitizer from Wacom.
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Signing on Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 In 2012 Wacom's digital pen technology ("Penabled") was integrated in the first Android tablet: The "S-Pen" in the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is an active digitizer from Wacom.
Wacom's digital pen technology ("Penabled") is integrated in
  • Android Tablets (2012 - first device launched: Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1)
  • Smartphones (2011 - first device launched: Samsung Galaxy Note 5.3)
Samsung's "S-Pen" is an active digitizer from Wacom. More smartphones and tablets with Wacom digitizers will be launched in 2012.

 

For smart phones and tablets with Wacom digitizer running on Android OS Smart Phones – e.g. Samsung Galaxy Notes
check SignDoc Mobile in its version for Android.

Most Windows Tablet PCs running on Windows OS are Wacom Penabled Slates – e.g. ASUS Eee Slate B121, Motion Computing J3500, Panasonic Toughbook CF-H2 Field, Samsung PC 700T - Serie 7 Slate Convertibles – e.g. Fujitsu Lifebook T 901, HP EliteBook Tablet PC 2760, Lenovo X220

Test SignDoc with one of the devices mentioned above for free now Download SignDoc Desktop Setup

Dual Input (Pen & Touch) of N-trig

N-trig's DuoSense® solution is a dual-mode interface, powered by a single device, utilizing both pen and projected capacitive multi-touch functionality. This solution utilizes N-trig’s Digital PencilTM, which enables direct on-screen digital input. The solution was introduced to the Tablet PC market in late 2007. The DuoSense uses a single digitizer rather than having a panel with two layers.

SOFTPRO E-Signing solutions also run machines with built in N-trig DuoSense technology such as
devices running on Windows OS Slates – e.g. Fujitsu Stylistic Q 550, Motion Computing CL 900 Convertibles – e.g. Dell Latitude XT3, Fujitsu Lifebook T 580
Test SignDoc with one of the devices mentioned above for free now Download SignDoc Desktop Setup

For devices with n-trig digitizer running on Android OS Smart Tablets – e.g. HTC Flyer, Lenovo ThinkPad K1 Tablet, Motorola Droid XYBoard 10.1", Panasonic Toughbook Tablet
check SignDoc Mobile in its version for Android. 
SOFTPRO provides additional information about the benefits of SignPad compared to alternative technologies in a whitepaper for registered partners and customers. Feel free to request this information from your SOFTPRO Contact displayed in the right column of this webpage.