A method for writing servo information onto a disk of a hard disk drive. The method includes writing a reference servo pattern onto a track of a disk with an off-line servo track writer. The reference servo pattern has less servo bits than the final pattern allowing the off-line writer to write in a single pass. The disk is then assembled into a hard disk drive assembly and a final servo pattern is written onto the track. The final pattern can also be written with two passes. The single pass writing process reduces the time required to write the servo information. Additionally, the off-line servo track writer can write servo on a plurality of disk at the same time, further reducing the process time for writing servo and mass producing hard disk drives.