Signing Your Prints
Photographers exhibiting in contemporary galleries sign their prints on the back of the print, also called the reverse, or verso, and not on the front of the print. (more on that in another post)
Sign in the upper left hand or lower right hand corner of the print, inside the print area (remember on the back of the print), and not on the border.
You should include the following:
Title of the piece
Year that the image was taken
Edition size
Year that the image was printed (If you desire)
Copyright (Suggested)
Your signature
5 Responses to 'Signing Your Prints'
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I have seen many photographers sign on the front.
As a collector, that is what I prefer. It’s great if they do sign on the back, but I want to see a signature on the front as well.
Many photographers do sign on the front, but those images exist in a different market place, not the contemporary gallery and museum world. Also, a different kind of collector wants a photograph signed on the front of the piece. You will not see a Gursky, Struth, or others singing their imagery on the front of the print. They exhibit in a specific market to specific collectors.
Additionally, signing on the front references a different era of contemporary photography, for years that was the practice in the best galleries, all of our favorite legends did it and we did too. Those were the contemporary practices of the time. That business model has changed on the high end, but we still frequently emulate the best practices of the 1980s and earlier.
Thank you for the question, I will be writing follow-up post or two on the topic as noted in the original post. This is a subject that seems to stir passion, and it is necessary to understand that your choices in terms of signing a prints should be defined by the market place in which you sell, or collect, photography.
I hope that this helps, please let me know if you would like more.
Best,
Thomas
Although some of the collectors of my prints do not want a signature at all (so I sign on the back), most want them signed on the front, and away from the edge so that the signature is not covered by the mat. I have never asked why in either case, just fulfilled my customers’ requests.
However, I provide decorative wall art, none of which has ever hung in a gallery except for competitions, so that may be the difference.
T. C. Knight
T.C.,
Thank you for the note.
That is the difference, or one of them. That is one of the points that I will address this week. Where you show and sell your prints, as well as who your buyers and audience is will make a big difference in terms of how you do things like sign your prints.
Signing on the back of the print is a good idea, even if you sign the mat, you always want your information to travel with your print. If you sign the reverse as well as the front you are sure that all of the relevant information will always be there.
Best,
Thomas
Do you sign in pen? specific type of pen/ink? pencil?
thanks!