Signing your work

<p>Can any one help me with this?, I have just sent one of my photo's to be mated, and framed. I did not have my name printed on the photo, I did this because it was just a test photo, Now my question is: What is the best way to put a sigenture on the photo. I Will not be doing the framing myself, and I like using the mats. Where is the best place to put the sigture? and do I add before I print and just adjust for the frame and mat? Thank you for reading Steve</p>

<p>There are lots of ways to sign a print. You can add your signature (and whatever else) in the image area with Photoshop etc. You can sign the print on the front outside the image area and allow room for it to show inside the mat. You can sign the mat before the picture is framed. Or...</p>

<p>I sign (and number) the back of the print, outside the image, with #2 pencil. I then sign the mat, typically in ink. That way if the print is separated from the mat, it is still signed.</p>

<p>My $0.02 worth, lots of people will have an opinion on this.</p>

<p><Chas></p>

 

<p>Thank you Charles, I will sign the back, but I will have to see if I can sight the mat before the store seals it up</p>

 

<p>Can you pre-sign the mat when you drop off the print for framing? Or is the mat being cut to a custom size? Could you revisit the framing store to sign the mat after it's cut but before framing?</p>

<p>Just some options</p>

<p><Chas><br /></p>

Signing in pencil on the mat between the photo and the overmat on the lower right is the way I do it. Many photographers like Ansel Adams did it that way.

<p>The method James describes is what I see most commonly in museums. A small gap is left between the edge of the photo on the mat and window of the overmat. The photos are signed in pencil just under the bottom edge of the print (sometimes with a date, very brief title and print number if from a limited edition). When the overmat is applied the signature shows in the gap in the window.</p>

<p>I've seen a few photos in galleries in which the photographer directly signed the overmat below the window. Some use pen but virtually all signed photos I've seen in museums were signed in pencil.</p>

<p>Presumably pencil is considered more archival. Older inks contained a lot of ammonia, so there may have been some concerns about staining. Also, mats may not be sized to prevent "bleeding" of inks, so test your pen on a scrap piece of mat first to be sure the signature will be clean and not bleed into the surrounding fibers.</p>

<p>Thank you all, I will give it a try. I had Hobby Lobby frame my photo and it was a custom cut, and they did a very good job, I will have to ask them if there is a way to sign the mat before they finish, Not sure what there prosess is. the photo was a odd size and took a few days to do. but I will check into it, Thanks again all Steve</p>