signing on mat

What is best for signing on the mat, pen or pencil, and what kind?


Thanks,
Kevin

Kevin,

I use a sharpened #2 (or HB) pencil when I sign on the mat. I would stay away from ink since it may either bleed, or fade over time. One hint: practice signing your name a few times so that when you do sign the print, your signature will look nice.

If you sell a matted print, sign on the mat and then the owner changes out the mat, your signature will no longer be visible. Given this possibility, I now sign on the print using an archival micro-point ink pen.

-Preston

I agree with Preston. I sign my prints in either archival liner, or extra-fine gold (or silver) ink. This gives you a pallette of 3 "colors", and you won't have to worry if (when) the new owner changes the mat to more their liking. I sign the print once it's matted (I mat my own) so that the signature is aligned properly.

HTH,

Rob Travis
WNC

I also sign both print and mat, you can see this on the article i wrote on my website.


Wim

Recently I have been incorporating my name into the print using a text color that is taken from the image itself so it blends in. The effect is like a painter signing his/her painting. Alternatively I place the title and my name in a border below the image area that shows when the print is matted. I then sign and date each print on the back in pencil. It seems to satisfy those who want the print signed and eliminates the problems of losing the signature if the mat is changed or potential chemical reactions between ink and the surface of the print.

Jim Bullard

Go to your local art store (or even Michaels, etc.) and buy a handful of pencils - of various hardness. I like harder pencils for small mats, and softer pencils for large mats. 2B and 6B are two good standards.

I'm a big fan of these:
http://www.dickblick.com/products/cretacolor-monolith-woodless-pencil/

Preston
Do you have a brand that you could offer and where a archival micro-point ink pen might be purchased?

Thanks
Dennis

Thanks everyone.

I will also be singing on the print, but I've never signed on the mat before...

Do any of you find it best to sign on the image (i.e., not on the white border, but on the image itself)?

Benjamin, I sign canvas prints that way. Typically I'll sign the bottom, on the part that wraps around the stretcher frame, rather than on the front, visible part of the canvas.

I sign my mats when I frame a print. I use an "artistic" initial instead of my name. I print my name on the back of the print in pencil. My writing is terrible and would make the print look crappy. Can't get over my poor handwriting skills this late in life. I use a Gold archiving pen - usually a "Pen-Touch" Gold Extra Fine 0.7mm Quick-Dry Metallic Permanent Opaque pen by Sakura. I used to use a silver pen by the same company and have them on hand just in case something will look better with silver instead of gold. I am comfortable using my "mark" instead of my name. If someone is really interested in who made the print, they will find out from the buyer of the print. And in my local area, folks know to whom that "mark" belongs.