signing prints and edition number

[AaronPhotog]

Sakura Color Products has an American website, and should be available in several graphic art supply stores.  They make pigment ink, permanent, acid-free drafting pens.  These mark easily on the borders of glossy or matte papers, and are available in different widths.

[nihil]

I like to use a rather visible signature and numbering on the pictures themselves. I don't think it detracts. Rather it is a scar that only the author would permit himself to make, and as such it has some romantic (I am probably guilty of that) connotations. I am inspired by painters of old that would let their huge signatures feature prominently in their works. It is the least you have earned when you've created something good. I find it ridiculous when people sign the mat, as if it was the object of interest to be preserved in the future. And beneath the image area is not my taste either - I don't like to keep white borders when matting an image.

It is not merely an ego-thing. My own experience is that people really like the way I do mine. Here is a photo: (right side) Link to picture. Not excactly hiding it.. And I've made an effort to make it look good in itself.

regards,
E.M.

[USA_Stewart]

Koh-I-Noor, under the Nexus name, makes fine point pure pigmented ink pens that make it easy to sign the border of prints made on smooth baryta papers such as Harman Gloss FB Al or Ilford Fibre Gold Silk. It's a fine point roller ball. The pigment ink is archival, lightfast, dries quickly, and is waterproof. These pens don't dry out rapidly like many others I've tried. I use the Ebony ink version. The package that the pen came in lists a web site of www.chartpak.com. I purchased the pen at a local art store.  I have been very happy with the results.

Stewart_USA

[bill t.]

Oops, was just junking a bunch of old test prints, came across one I had used for a while to start the ink flowing on a Fine Point Sharpie.  Definite smearing migration of the ink out onto the Epson Premium Luster surface.  Not a lot, but noticeable without a magnifier.  This apparently occurred over time, I'm sure I didn't notice it at the time of marking.  Some of the scribblings were made months after the print dried.  The smearing is more noticeable on some scribbles than on others, don't know why.

Has anybody else seen this?  I have never liked signing prints, now this.  Good thing all the Sharpies signature are covered up with pencil-signed mattes, yikes!

Also...

Does anybody know a way to make really good white or gray opaque signatures using a old-fashioned technical pen, or some sort of pen that can write opaquely on RC surfaces?  Have been experimenting with framing styles, I'm kind of liking using linen liners in place of paper mattes, with the liner right up against the edge of the print with no "writing border".  Gives a perceived-classy oil painting look to certain types of images, but requires signing over the image.  PS I know it's probably not archival.

[budjames]

At Michael's Art Supply big box store, I purchased gold and silver rollerball pens that most people buy to write out wedding invitations. These work good on fiber based papers and other surfaces, although all of my fine art prints are on fiber based matte papers.

The other thing that I've done and looks good is scanning in my signature and adding it PS as a new layer. It makes it real easy to scale, shade, angle, whatever to make it less obvious.

Bud