I bought some gel pens that I was told would sign prints, on the print. I found out the hard way that they didn't. Fortunately, it was on the back, and the customer was understanding. I would like to know what kind of pen is best for writing on the printer paper, and if a different pen is best for signing on the matt? When signing on the print, do you keep it sudtle, or just sign it as you would anything else?
Chris, I use a Faber Castell Pitt artist pen that is archival and writes on either the paper or the matt. It comes in black, and silver for writing on darker mats if you matt in other colors. I found it at a Hobby Lobby. As for signing your work I usually make it subtle - signing my name and the year of the capture on the lower right side of the print, or the matt, and on the lower left the title of the capture as I usually try to name them as well.
If your signature is visible, as on the front rather than the back, more and more photo processors are helping surveil your copyright. If there's a name and a copyright, they'll refuse to make copies. We run into this quite a bit with the portraits from our studio. Folks will buy one and hope to go somewhere cheap and have more made. The labs will either refuse to do it or contact us for our permission, which usually includes faxing them a copyright release form that they can file. I'm not sure how much of a factor that will be for nature prints, but it's worth thinking about how your signature and copyright notice can be used by labs to help prevent unauthorized copying. That can't happen with your signature on the mat, and it's less likely with the signature on the back rather than on the front.
The current museum standard is to use an archival black pen to sign prints (I use one from Light Impressions). Sign in the white space below the image (right-left, that's up to you), not on the image. Don't sign a mat with a pen, use a pencil. Also, don't sign the mat if the signature on the print is going to show, it looks bad. If I sell a print unmatted, I sign the print on the front, If I sell a print matted, then I sign the mat with a pencil and sign the back of the print with a pen. Hope this helps
I have been using the Sakura Pen -Touch Gold extra fine 0.7mm pens to sign my mattes with a unique two letter initial. There is no question where the photo came from with my initials the way I do it. I use the same pen on the back of the print with my name , year, and copyright symbol - usually. I do this on the back of the print in an area that will be covered by the matte on front so it won't show through.
The gold initials on the front look artistic and keep the look clean (I have a very long name and my writing is terrible and actually hurts the image if I do it).
There are many many many opinions on this subject and many reasons to do it differently!
I didn't bring up the gold pens Troup because they're not customary in the nature venue. But the way you do it sounds really classy.
In fact, gold is the standard (I recognize the near miss on a pun BTW) in the portrait and studio world, and we use the same pen.
For studio portraiture it's traditional to sign in the LRC directly on the print or canvas rather than on the border or back. We use the pen on conventional prints over 11x14 and on all canvases. For 8x10 and smaller we use a small electric embossing machine with a die of my wife's signature that heat transfers her signature to the print using gold foil rather than ink. The results look the same, but the machine sure beats signing every single small print during senior photo season, even as it helps prevent unauthorized copying at labs.
Discussion
5 repliesThanks,
Chris
If your signature is visible, as on the front rather than the back, more and more photo processors are helping surveil your copyright. If there's a name and a copyright, they'll refuse to make copies. We run into this quite a bit with the portraits from our studio. Folks will buy one and hope to go somewhere cheap and have more made. The labs will either refuse to do it or contact us for our permission, which usually includes faxing them a copyright release form that they can file. I'm not sure how much of a factor that will be for nature prints, but it's worth thinking about how your signature and copyright notice can be used by labs to help prevent unauthorized copying. That can't happen with your signature on the mat, and it's less likely with the signature on the back rather than on the front.
The gold initials on the front look artistic and keep the look clean (I have a very long name and my writing is terrible and actually hurts the image if I do it).
There are many many many opinions on this subject and many reasons to do it differently!
Troup Nightingale
In fact, gold is the standard (I recognize the near miss on a pun BTW) in the portrait and studio world, and we use the same pen.
For studio portraiture it's traditional to sign in the LRC directly on the print or canvas rather than on the border or back. We use the pen on conventional prints over 11x14 and on all canvases. For 8x10 and smaller we use a small electric embossing machine with a die of my wife's signature that heat transfers her signature to the print using gold foil rather than ink. The results look the same, but the machine sure beats signing every single small print during senior photo season, even as it helps prevent unauthorized copying at labs.