How to Write Above a Line in MS Word
By Ken Burnside
While not quite as easy as writing a signature on a paper contract, Microsoft Word allows you to graphically sign above lines with its the built-in drawing tools. This can save you the trouble of having to print out a document and keep paper copies on file. It also allows you to initial or sign a document and then send it back electronically.
Open the Word document and scroll to the line you want to write above. You may need to zoom in on the line if it's small.
Click on the "Insert" tab and then click the "Text Box" button, which is in the "Text" part of the ribbon. A menu window will come up. Select "Simple Text Box."
Drag your mouse cursor to make a text box over the signature line. Click inside the box to make it the active text entry field.
Click on the "Insert" tab, and then go to the "Shapes" button in the "Illustrations" area. Select the "Scribble" tool, which is located under the "Lines" heading. Click it and draw your signature with the mouse, holding down the left mouse button the entire time you're drawing it.
Click the orange Text Box Tools tab. Click the "Shape Outline" menu and choose "No Outline." Click the "Shape Fill" menu and choose "No Fill." This sets the text box's border to be invisible and keeps your signature above the line.
References
Writer Bio
Ken Burnside has been writing freelance since 1990, contributing to publications as diverse as "Pyramid" and "Training & Simulations Journal." A Microsoft MVP in Excel, he holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Alaska. He won the Origins Award for Attack Vector: Tactical, a board game about space combat.