Signing, stamping or embossing photographs

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

I "sign" my prints with a japanese chop and ink that has the character for my name ( or at least I am hoping it is my name and the guy did not play a joke on me and wrote something like "kisses donkey ass") but I dont know how archival this would be for fiber paper since the "ink" is a red waxy substance that adheres well to the paper used for pt/pd prints, it might run off on silver prints.

[robc]

Just tried something which is so obvious I don't know why I never thought of it before.

loaded a pen with neat spottone and it works a treat for signing prints.
Don't know what spottone is made of but it won't rub off the print surface. It seems to soak into the print whereas other inks and pens I have tried rub off easily.

[paulr]

all the work i've seen from the last few decades (the work that gets widely taken seriously, at least) is signed on the back, usually in pencil. signing on the front, like a painter, became seen as a painterly pretension and got abandoned a long time ago.

[Ralph W. Lambrecht]

Just tried something which is so obvious I don't know why I never thought of it before.

loaded a pen with neat spottone and it works a treat for signing prints.
Don't know what spottone is made of but it won't rub off the print surface. It seems to soak into the print whereas other inks and pens I have tried rub off easily.

I don't sign on the actual print, but this is a good idea! Since the signature should not distract from the photograph, I would change the recommendation to diluted spotone.

[robc]

I used no:3 which is medium grey and doesn't need diluting or it would be too faint. Although I had just washed out the pen so there may have been some water in it. Experiment.