Print identification

[Saulius]

For those of you who sell matted and/or framed prints what do you put on the back of them? In A.Adams book the Print he suggests putting some sort of print identification on the back. So what do you put on yours? How do yo do it, with labels, rubber stamping? Thanks in advance.

[jnantz]

i just sign my name in pencil

[Saulius]

Aside from signing on the front be it on the mat or the print itself I was thinking about he back side for marketing purposes. You know a print might be hanging in someones office, maybe someone might comment on it and show interest in it so if you had some info on a label on the back they would be able to contact you. A.Adams suggests a stamp which would give full name, address and space for the title of the photo, negative date, printing date and a statement of reporduction limitation or copyright. These days I think a web site would be pertinent too. So any of you do this or do you think it's unecessary, again these are for prints that are matted or framed that you sold.

[Jon Shiu]

Yes, put all that stuff on the back. I've noticed that for some reason some buyers prefer it written in pencil rather than computer label.

Jon

[Doremus Scudder]

I use a rubber stamp with archival ink on the back of the mounting board of all my prints. It has my name ("Print by..."), three lines for title, negative date, print date and number, etc. plus copyright notice. The specific information is filled in with pencil. You can have a rubber stamp made up easily to you needs.

My signature appears on the front, just below the image.

I always stamp lightly and in one corner just in case the ink bleeds through sometime. I imagine this is a bit too cautious, since the board is 4-ply, but, in case it ever happened, it would be hidden by the overmat.

Hope this helps.

[Charles Carstensen]

Superior Rubber Stamp in Wichita, KS makes a round copyright stamp, pre inked, that I use on both the print and the matt backing. You get all the right information on a 1 5/8 round that looks good and is permanent.

http://superiorrubberstamp.com

http://superiorrubberstamp.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=SRSSI&Category_Code=ENC

best,

[Jim Jones]

I sign the mat on the front with pencil, and use a laser printed label on the back with the title and my address. For inkjet prints, I also add a label with the printer, ink, and paper used, and URL of Wilhelm Imaging Research so the buyer can research the potential longivity of the print.

[paulr]

on the back of the print itself i sign, date, and put the edition number it in pencil.

if it's going to be framed and hung in a show, or sold framed (i've never sold a framed print, but i've given them as gifts) i print out a computer label that goes on the back of the backing board, so it's visible on the back of the frame.

this includes name, title of the piece/project, medium, edition, copyright and date.

makes it easy for anyone to look at the back of the framed package and see what it is, but the label's not permanently affixed to anything important. if someone takes it home and hates stickers, or puts it in a collection that has its own labelling scheme, it's easy to change. besides, it's on the back of the frame, so who cares.

[Saulius]

Thanks all for the responses and thanks Charles for the web site, it seems like a posibility. I'm trying to decide between labels or stamping. If one uses a copyright be it on the back of a print or on ones web site for that matter, is it necessary to put a year with it? What if any difference is there and/or benefit? Just need some clarification on that.

[Charles Carstensen]

IMHO the stamp is permanent and indestructible. Not to mention far easier to apply (think time). The label is easily removed by anyone at any time. Not, that you really care once it leaves your hands. It is not necessary to add the year, your copyright is automatic the exact moment you created the photograph. Key is the REGISTRATION with United States Copyright Office. Without registration you are in legal no mans land. The year should reflect the registration. A great deal of fine art photography is, no doubt, unregistered.

[domenico Foschi]

I sign the print in the front with pencil with the nimber of the edition, then on verso I stamo it and then I write that the image has been printed from original negative by me in the year...and I specify in words the number of the print and the edition .
and then I sign it.

[David_Senesac]

Your question is specifically about matted and framed prints however I'll add something here because given most are mainly producing digital prints these days there are additional options for what we might do.

My approach is certainly rather unique. If I were selling mounted or framed prints my print identification would probably be more conventional using some kind of fancy metalized label on the back as better fine art framers sometimes do. In my case, I am only selling customers unmounted Fuji Crystal Archive Lightjet prints that are shipped rolled in 4 inch diameter tubes. What I do is make use out of the whitespace which anyone producing such prints ought to be including around their images to fascilliate framing of the print to a mat. Although after framed, such is going to be hidden under a mat, such is always there and the customer is of course aware of that. The same information is available when a customer brings up any image on my home page index thus giving them access to the information even if they had not made a copy or forgotten what that was. Thus I include one-inch borders around the actual image area however just don't leave it white but rather add both color and luminance control structures for quality control in order to guarantee consistent production from my lab as well as image information including a title, image number, and several other items. ...David

http://www.davidsenesac.com/print_example.html

The title and image numbers are identical to that which is on my ordering page table of images"

http://www.davidsenesac.com/david_ordering.html

[John Berry]

As it's only an addiction rather than a vocation for me. I've never given any thought to something to put on the back. It has got me to thinking, should I use " The part you payed for is on the other side", or " This side to wall"?

[bruce terry]

Aside from a framed matted print being signed and identified with copyright/location/materials used per one's personal routine, I always stamp and pencil the visible backboard with all the info hidden within - so someone down the line doesn't have to tear the framed print apart only to codify.

PS John - I only screw around too, but I don't want a genuinely-curoius grandkid tearing a picture apart to find out if really is 80% palladium 20% platinum, etc. after I'm long gone.