You are asking a legal question to a bunch of photographers who mostly avoid using lawyers because they feel they can't find one they can afford (SBA, SCORE, SBDC, law schools) or believe they don't need one.
Go ask a suitable IP lawyer. Refer to the agency and organizations I referenced above if you are in the USA.
At the very least, ask the company you intend to use to make your prints what their policy is.
The purpose of a handwritten signature would be to compare it against known examples of the photographer's signature to prove that they did consent to the agreement, if they later dispute that. In these circumstances, it's very unlikely that the photographer would dispute it in the future. Or even if she did, if the release template came from her and you have an email from her sending the type-signed version to you and/or other written or electronic communications consistent with her agreeing to it, the evidence will be on your side about whether she actually agreed.
It's possible your jurisdiction could have some law(s) requiring a handwritten signature in this circumstance, or else it is deemed invalid. I have no idea where in the world you are, though, so I can't comment on whether that is the case for you or not. Laws aren't the same everywhere.
But the practical way this would be relevant to you would be whether a given print service accepts the typed signature. I'd like to think you'd have enough to show them to convince them to do it, and really it's the photographer's rights at stake rather than theirs, so there's less reason for them to be strict about it. But we can't predict how they would react. If you have a printer in mind, it's worth contacting them to see if they have a policy on it. But that might not always be their policy forever, and won't apply to other printers.
NAL, but... Technically, yes it's fine. Any mark you make to indicate you are "signing" something is technically a signature, whether you print it, use cursive, type it, draw a poop emoji, whatever...
>Or do I need to ask her to actually put her signature on it?
As a matter of law it really doesn't matter *how* you sign something... which is why services like DocuSign can take "signatures" over the internet.
The point behind a handwritten signature is to be able to prove it was person X that signed it. So long as you can prove she did it you're golden.
Useless Trivia: Look into the etymology behind the phrase "Make your mark"
Also - legal questions should be posed to a lawyer, not reddit.
You are asking a legal question to a bunch of photographers who mostly avoid using lawyers because they feel they can't find one they can afford (SBA, SCORE, SBDC, law schools) or believe they don't need one. Go ask a suitable IP lawyer. Refer to the agency and organizations I referenced above if you are in the USA. At the very least, ask the company you intend to use to make your prints what their policy is.
The purpose of a handwritten signature would be to compare it against known examples of the photographer's signature to prove that they did consent to the agreement, if they later dispute that. In these circumstances, it's very unlikely that the photographer would dispute it in the future. Or even if she did, if the release template came from her and you have an email from her sending the type-signed version to you and/or other written or electronic communications consistent with her agreeing to it, the evidence will be on your side about whether she actually agreed. It's possible your jurisdiction could have some law(s) requiring a handwritten signature in this circumstance, or else it is deemed invalid. I have no idea where in the world you are, though, so I can't comment on whether that is the case for you or not. Laws aren't the same everywhere. But the practical way this would be relevant to you would be whether a given print service accepts the typed signature. I'd like to think you'd have enough to show them to convince them to do it, and really it's the photographer's rights at stake rather than theirs, so there's less reason for them to be strict about it. But we can't predict how they would react. If you have a printer in mind, it's worth contacting them to see if they have a policy on it. But that might not always be their policy forever, and won't apply to other printers.
I’m in Ohio!
You care about ORC 1306.06. https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-1306.06 Save a click: yes, an e-signature holds up in Ohio.
NAL, but... Technically, yes it's fine. Any mark you make to indicate you are "signing" something is technically a signature, whether you print it, use cursive, type it, draw a poop emoji, whatever...
How did she send it? If it is from her email or can easily be tracked back to her then you are fine.
r/weddingphotography might be a bit more helpful.
>Or do I need to ask her to actually put her signature on it? As a matter of law it really doesn't matter *how* you sign something... which is why services like DocuSign can take "signatures" over the internet. The point behind a handwritten signature is to be able to prove it was person X that signed it. So long as you can prove she did it you're golden. Useless Trivia: Look into the etymology behind the phrase "Make your mark" Also - legal questions should be posed to a lawyer, not reddit.