pens for signing photographs

[Alan Davenport]

Can someone comment on the archival properties of ink and a no.2 pencil?

I have my family Bible with entries that were penned almost 200 years ago. The entries are still there, the ink is still black. I call that "archival enough."



As for a No. 2 pencil, well IINM pencil leads are made with graphite, i.e., elemental carbon, which is mixed with clay and wax in different proportions to give the various hardness grades. Since carbon sticks around almost forever (as in Carbon-14, used to date antiquities) I guess that's archival too.

[Darin Cozine]

There are many pens around that are acid-free and archival. Just go to a local scrapbooking supply and you can find them. The hard part is finding a pen which writes smoothly without smudging on the gelatin and resin coated papers.

I have a pen which uses a carbon-based pigment and dries really fast, but I will have to get back to you on the brand.

darin

[jantman]

I'm partial to a 3x0 Rapidograph technical pen, which I use for almost all my photographic marking needs. I use Dr. P H Martin's black ink, which is supposed to be archivally-safe.

For black mat board, at the moment, I use a silver Sharpie marker, though I am considering getting a second Rapidograph and some white ink.

[Victor DeCicco]

I know this original post goes back some years but I recently searched for the same thing. There are many permanent pens/markers but they will fade eventually. I found two that I recently liked that are archival quality: Gelly Roll Metallic by Sakura and PITT Artist Pen Silver 251 by Faber-Castell. I ultimately used the Faber-Castell on my prints as it had a smoother stroke and actually signed on the bottom right hand corner of the photos images. It blended very well without standing out and I am very pleased with the final outcome. Would not suggest it for signing on a black or very dark surface as it may stand out more than you want.

[Doug Howk]

I use the Gelly Roll Metallic by sakura. Seems to produce a clear but not distracting signature on mat board.

[Rick A]

I have a Sharpy fine line silver pen

[Jon Paul]

I use the sharpie silver in the bottom right corner of the image. If matted, I sign, title and number the mat in pencil. Relative to the signature standing out too much, I have found that my collectors want to show off the signature... I don't mean huge and gaudy, but with enough prominence that they can see the name, LE#, etc. I originally didn't sign prints, then I had people start demanding them. It is a delicate balance, but seams to be important.
Hope that helps.

[Hector.Navarro]

I'm currently using:

silver uniPaint marker, extra fine, 0.8mm, oil-based, opaque, PX-203, made by Mitsubishi Pencil Co., Ltd.

I like really like this one because the opaque silver blends with the surface and up close the signature is only noticeable at a certain angle.

[Preston]

I am just curious if an oil-based pen might have deleterious affect on the print?

Thoughts on this, anyone?

--P

[Sideshow Bob]

You sign your name on the photograph? Like Olan Mills?

Gale