eSignatures vs Wet Signatures — Which Should You Use?

For centuries, a handwritten signature on paper was the only way to formally agree to a document. Today, electronic signatures have emerged as a faster, cheaper, and often more secure alternative. But when should you use an eSignature, and when is a traditional wet-ink signature still necessary? This guide compares the two across every factor that matters for Australian businesses.

Quick Comparison: eSignature vs Wet Signature

Here is a side-by-side comparison of the two approaches across the factors that matter most:

Speed: From Days to Minutes

The most immediate difference is speed. A wet-ink signature process typically involves:

1. Printing the document
2. Signing by hand
3. Scanning or photographing the signed pages
4. Emailing the scanned copy (or posting the original)
5. The other party repeating the same process

For a multi-party agreement, this can take days or even weeks when factoring in postal delivery, time zones, and people being away from their desk.

With electronic signatures, the entire process happens digitally. The sender uploads a document, adds signature fields, and sends it. The recipient receives an email, clicks a link, signs in their browser, and the completed document is available immediately. A contract that used to take a week can be signed in under five minutes.

Cost: The Hidden Expense of Paper

Wet-ink signatures come with costs that are easy to overlook:

• Printing — paper, ink, and printer maintenance add up, especially for multi-page contracts.
• Postage — express courier services for time-sensitive documents can cost $10-30 per envelope.
• Scanning — staff time to scan, crop, and email signed pages.
• Storage — physical filing cabinets, offsite storage, and retrieval costs.
• Staff time — the administrative overhead of printing, chasing, filing, and retrieving documents.

Industry estimates put the total cost of a wet-ink signature at $5 to $15 per document when all factors are included. Electronic signatures with a platform like SignAndGo bring that down to well under $2 per document on a Starter plan — and the first 5 are free.

Security: Paper is Surprisingly Vulnerable

Many people assume that a physical signature is more secure than a digital one, but the opposite is often true:

• Forgery. Handwritten signatures can be forged, and detecting forgery requires expert analysis. Electronic signatures use unique signing links tied to verified email addresses, making impersonation far more difficult.
• Tampering. A paper document can be altered after signing with no way to detect the change. Electronic signatures create a tamper-evident seal — any modification to the document after signing is detectable.
• Audit trail. A wet-ink signature tells you someone signed, but not when, where, or from what device. An electronic signature records the exact timestamp, IP address, device information, and even geolocation.
• Loss and damage. Paper documents can be lost in transit, damaged by water or fire, or simply misfiled. Electronic documents are encrypted, backed up, and searchable from anywhere.

Legal Validity in Australia

Both eSignatures and wet-ink signatures are legally valid in Australia for most documents. The Electronic Transactions Act 1999 (Cth) and corresponding state legislation establish that electronic signatures have the same legal effect as handwritten signatures, provided certain conditions are met:

• The signer consented to signing electronically
• The method used was reliable and appropriate for the purpose
• The identity of the signer can be established
• The signer's intention to be bound is clear

For a comprehensive breakdown of the legal framework, see our guide: Are eSignatures Legal in Australia?

When Wet-Ink Signatures Are Still Required

If you are unsure whether a specific document type can be signed electronically, consult your legal advisor. For the vast majority of business documents — contracts, agreements, NDAs, invoices, HR paperwork, consent forms — electronic signatures are perfectly acceptable.

The Environmental Argument

Beyond speed, cost, and security, there is an environmental case for going paperless. Consider the resources consumed by wet-ink signatures:

• A single tree produces roughly 8,333 sheets of paper
• The average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper per year
• Printing, storing, and transporting paper documents has a measurable carbon footprint

Switching to electronic signatures eliminates paper from the signing process entirely. For businesses processing hundreds or thousands of documents annually, the environmental impact is meaningful. Read more about this in our article on the benefits of going paperless.

Making the Switch

If you are still relying primarily on wet-ink signatures, the transition to electronic signatures does not need to happen overnight. Here is a practical approach:

1. Start with low-risk documents — internal approvals, NDAs, and standard contracts are ideal first candidates.
2. Use templates — set up your most common document types as reusable templates in SignAndGo's template library so your team can send them in seconds.
3. Educate your team — show them how simple the process is. Most people can send their first envelope within two minutes.
4. Keep wet-ink for exceptions — maintain a physical signing process only for documents that legally require it (wills, POAs, etc.).

The Verdict

For 95% of business documents, electronic signatures are faster, cheaper, more secure, and just as legally valid as wet-ink signatures. The exceptions are narrow and well-defined. Unless you are dealing with wills, certain powers of attorney, or specific real property documents, there is no practical reason to continue with wet-ink signing.

The question is no longer "should we use eSignatures?" but "why are we still printing?"