Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Pro Business Discussion => Topic started by: marimagen on October 01, 2015, 06:44:03 am
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Hi,
So far, I have been selling prints locally, and I always sign them at the back before framing. I have been thinking of selling some series abroad using printing services available there. Those prints, obviously, will not bear my signature. Should I have a different price for signed vs. unsigned prints?
Thanks in advance,
Marie
bcnartist.com (http://bcnartist.com)
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I can't see the point of signing prints on the back at all. If they are framed then no one will see it. The best way to frame is to stick the print down so the signature will never be seen.
If you are famous then you probably would charge less for unsigned but if it's not on the front then I don't think a signature means much. Just my opinion.
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:) :) :) I see you point!
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I can't see the point of signing prints on the back at all. If they are framed then no one will see it. The best way to frame is to stick the print down so the signature will never be seen.
If you are famous then you probably would charge less for unsigned but if it's not on the front then I don't think a signature means much. Just my opinion.
Sorry, Bob, but why bother? IMHO there is no sense in signing something if it will never be seen. If you are proud of your work - Sign It! Sign each print digitally. I use a custom brush in PS for this and for many of my clients as well. Simply put it on it's own layer so that it can be sized and have effects applied easily. - Jim
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jferrari,
The best way to frame is to stick the print down so the signature will never be seen.
...why bother?
Provenance?
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I can't remember where I read this, but people see more sales of signed prints over not signed.
When I first selling my artwork occasionally someone would give me a disappointed look and ask that I sign it for them.
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When I first selling my artwork occasionally someone would give me a disappointed look and ask that I sign it for them.
Did you sign it on the front or the back?
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If you are proud of your work - Sign It! Sign each print digitally.
Will a digital signature layer mean the same thing to the customer?
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There is an excellent discussion on this subject at the Online Photographer's site:
http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2014/05/how-to-sign-photographs-part-4.html
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Great article, thank you!
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Sorry, Bob, but why bother? IMHO there is no sense in signing something if it will never be seen.
Jim, that is what I said.
When a print is framed, you can't see the back of it.
Most framers will want to stick the print down, because then it can't sag.
Therefore to be of any value a signature needs to be on the front.
I sign my prints on the front.
Actually I usually sign the mat board, (which is also stuck down) because it is neater and takes pencil.
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I believe the practice of signing prints on the back stems from the preferred ( by galleries and museums ) archival method of attaching prints to the mat board by using a t-hinge.
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Will a digital signature layer mean the same thing to the customer?
Perhaps not but comparing that to an unsigned print the customer will likely think that if you become famous some day that their art investment may increase in value if it has a signature on it. An actual, real handwritten signature would be best but may not always be practical.
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jferrari,
Provenance?
What good is the provenance if you have to dismantle the package to view it? Take some pride in your work and sign it where it can readily be seen. Ford is proud of their products and prominently displays their logo on each auto they produce.
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Did you sign it on the front or the back?
Front side, bottom right.
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Ford is proud of their products and prominently displays their logo on each auto they produce.
Yes, but Ford is the corporation, not the people who actually built the car so it is not exactly the same thing we are talking about.
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Yes, but Ford is the corporation, not the people who actually built the car so it is not exactly the same thing we are talking about.
No, Ford built the car. The employees have no intellectual rights in almost all cases. Even contractors have no IP rights unless specifically stated.
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No, Ford built the car. The employees have no intellectual rights in almost all cases. Even contractors have no IP rights unless specifically stated.
I always took the point of view that the modern customer expects a garish in-your-face signature on the image, or just below the image. Never had any protests from customers although other photographers showed their anger. I used white marker on some images, black on others.
Edmund
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I've noticed over the years that more people don't care about the signature and want it covered with the matting. About 50-50 now. The biggest reason is that the white border distracrts from the art and they don't care about the signature just the overall feel of the art when I'm finished framing it.
But if you want to sign it, then, yes the preferred place is on the front.
As for the comment by jdyrek, let me refine that... it gets t-hinged to the board BEHIND the art, not to the back of the mat. No one with any time in framing would t-hinge art to the back of the mat.
The reason for that is in case someone opens the package and lifts the mat, there is more chance of the art being damaged than if it is hinged to the board behind it.
Another reason is that if the mat has been damaged, you only need to remove the old mat and place the new mat in the same place ... no need to do a complete remount of the art. If the new mat is cut properly, it will realign with the art.
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Hi Framah, you are exactly right. When I was refering to the "mat" I was not being specific enough. I think of the "mat" as being one thing that is made up of two pieces of the same material put together with linen tape. The photograph is attached with a t-hinge to the back piece and the over mat frames the photograph. There is a lot of material on this issue available on the internet, and I tried to find a link on this subject that I found informative but could not. But there is no "right" answer, do what ever your gallery likes.
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I've noticed over the years that more people don't care about the signature and want it covered with the matting. About 50-50 now. The biggest reason is that the white border distracrts from the art and they don't care about the signature just the overall feel of the art when I'm finished framing it.
I've started signing in the lower RH corner of the print in an unobtrusive manner - not a large garish signature and in a color that doesn't attract attention. That way it's signed if the buyer wants it, but it doesn't detract from the image.
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I've started signing in the lower RH corner of the print in an unobtrusive manner - not a large garish signature and in a color that doesn't attract attention. That way it's signed if the buyer wants it, but it doesn't detract from the image.
That's probably a good compromise.
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I sign my prints in black archival ink in the front with edition count in the bottom left and signature in the bottom right and additionally on the back of the print in pencil with detailed information, such as the name/ID of the work, dates when photographed and printed, medium and sizing. With the darkroom prints mounted on the matboard I used to use a stamp into which I would write the same information by hand.