Signing Inkjet Prints

IMPORTANT:

This is our best advice based on the last 17 years of working in the industry but nothing in this article is a promise that a particular combination of materials we might mention is properly tested or truly archivally safe. Materials, both papers and writing implements, change over time and what worked for us might not work for you.

If in doubt, the best advice from an archival perspective is simply to never mark your prints unless it is absolutely necessary.

The best advice about signing your prints can be summarised, so:

• Do not sign your prints unless you have to (consider authenticity certificates or embossed 'chop' marks as safer alternatives)
• Especially don't sign double sided prints - avoid marking these if at all possible (more on why below)
• If you have to sign, sign the print outside the image area if possible (usually at the bottom left or bottom right of the print)
• If you have to sign, practise on test materials first
• If you have to sign, always use graphite pencil if you can
• If you can't use pencil, sign with an archival pigment pen and one that has been reported as inkjet print safe (after years of use).

Probably more prints have been ruined by bad signatures than any other thing. The ruination of the print can occur immediately, but it is often only after years have passed that problems become evident.

Applying a signature (or any mark) on a print is always a risk. A risk that it will impair the print both aesthetically and, more importantly and fundamentally, at an archival integrity level.

There is a natural tendency to assume that because inkjet papers have an ink receptive coating this then implies that you can use pretty much any ink on them with safety and success. This is absolutely not the case.

Art materials in general are notorious for odd interactions over time, which is why long term testing and a highly conservative approach is the only sensible approach with making marks on prints. Different inks have substantially different chemistries - the carrying fluids that are used to deliver the dyes (or, ideally, pigments) - can vary a lot in formulation, and thus reactivity.  

So really all sorts of reactions are theoretically possible, and over the years we've actually seen quite a few reactions in practise - including:

• Ink being wicked from one side of the paper through to the other (thus ruining double sided prints)
  
• Yellow bordering around the writing appearing within a few months or after years (acid reactivity)
  
• Bleed that either quickly or, much worse, very slowly develops, causing your signature to swell and bleed unattractively into the paper
  
• Speckling that later appears and fragments the appearance of your signature
  

If You Must, You Must...

The reality is that most people need or want to sign their prints - there's simply no question that people value signed prints more than unsigned prints.

So, if you must sign your prints - what is the best way?

Always Use Pencil If Possible

Graphite pencils (AKA lead pencils, grey leads etc. - i.e. your everyday pencil!) - are the best way to sign your prints - if they will work on your print surface.

Pencils work fine on any matte fine art paper (and the vast bulk of fine art prints are made on matte papers, a fortunate coincidence!). They are a proven stable and archival - so always use pencil if you can. Unfortunately gloss and semi gloss papers do not tend to accept pencil.

After signing with pencil, consider sealing your work after signing with a tested, archival print spray - which is good practise for prints anyway and in testing has been shown to as much as double the colourfast lifespan of prints.

The beauty of pencil is that, if you sign with a light touch, you can (with caution!) use a pencil eraser to solve any mistakes you might make at the time of signing. Indeed, pencil erasers are a handy tool in general with inkjet prints that can often remove light marks, smudges etc, that may accidentally occur when handling prints.

Be *Very* Cautious With Pens

If you must sign using a pen, then test, test, test. Be aware that sometimes problems can take years to become visible. So doing some online research here can really pay dividends and avoid a later calamity.

Most pens will simply not write well on inkjet prints - the ink receptive microporous coating on prints will not allow ink to flow from pens in the same way as it does on uncoated papers, so even in physical writing terms it can be hard to find a good pen.

In addition, most pens are not really archival, and many will react with the inkjet print coating over time. So real caution is needed here. Do not use:

• Ballpoint pens
• Fountain pens (almost always these will bleed)
• Gel pens
• Uniball pens
• Really any 'regular' pen

You should use an archival, pigment based pen, one that is designed and tested for use on artworks. These are typically available from artist supply stores.

We have personally used Staedtler Pigment Liners and Artline Pigment Metallic pens with success, and no visible adverse effects (checked yearly for over 15 years). 

Disclaimer: this does not mean, of course, these will work for you and your scenario/materials - we're making no promises!!  Do your own research, test your process, and make your own decisions.