Email Signature Block

Signature block is the older, document-world name for what email users call the signature. It comes from letters and legal filings, where the signature block is the set of typed lines under the handwritten signature: the signer's name, title, organization, and address, and in court filings the attorney's contact details and often a bar number. In email the term covers the same structured lines at the bottom of a message, usually in this order: full name, job title, department, organization, phone, email or website, and address, followed by optional elements such as a logo, social links, a banner, and a legal disclaimer. Some writers draw a line between the block, meaning the identity lines only, and the signature as a whole, which also includes visual and promotional elements. Lawyers in particular still say signature block, and a law firm's email signature block often mirrors its court filing format. A good block is short. Four to six lines of text before any image or disclaimer is the common guideline, because each extra line pushes useful information further from the end of the message and adds length to every reply in a thread.