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When signing a letter on behalf of a colleague the convention would be to write:

My signature

p.p. Their Name

However I am currently in the position where a document will go unsigned but I will be printing the name of someone else. Is there an abbreviation to indicate this or should I go with p.p.?

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I have revise my answer. (Note that p.p. must be placed before your signature.) – Xavier Vidal Hernández Apr 18 '12 at 20:01
See wikipedia per procurationem article, which shows three forms and says "The correct usage is the subject of some debate." – jwpat7 Apr 18 '12 at 21:01

closed as off topic by Robusto, FumbleFingers, kiamlaluno, MετάEd, Mahnax Sep 22 '12 at 0:30

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1 Answer

up vote 2 down vote accepted

P.P. stands for per pro which is an abreviation of per procurationem, meaning by the agency of.

As such I do not see that printing or signing the name would make any difference, so I guess it would be just

p.p Their name

without any signature. I have to add that this is just from personal understanding, not experience. I have never personally seen a letter that uses p.p.

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A caveat is that an unsigned letter isn't binding so it doesn't matter what you put, to be honest. PP is used most often as a legal means by which you can assign culpability. Other than that, use it however you want. – user20276 Apr 18 '12 at 19:42

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