There are several items that may be preventing the preparer’s signature at the bottom of Form 1040.

No Paid Preparer

On screen 1, under Return Options, check the entry in the Preparer # field. If it is set to NONE, the Paid Preparer Use Only section of Form 1040 will be blank. See Drake Tax – Self-Prepared or Non-Paid Return for details.

ERO and Preparer Differ

Look for a NOTES page stating ERO AND PREPARER ARE DIFFERENT. If they are indeed different, enter the preparer’s alternative PIN signature (e-signature) on the PRNT screen at the bottom of the left column.

PIN Missing

If the preparer and ERO are the same, on the PIN screen enter the ERO’s PIN Signature.

Setup Missing

On Setup > Preparer(s), under Return Signature Options, make sure that a PIN signature field and the options under Use PIN for are marked as needed.