Signed art prints – with signatures that don't fade away

Tags: Artist, Character Illustration, Limited Edition, Martin Hyde, Open Edition, Prints, signature

Have you ever wondered why traditionally artist prints are always signed in pencil? Well there is a good, and simple explanation – the graphite in the pencil doesn’t fade.  If you signed the print with a typical pen, in the not too distant future the signature would fade and eventually disappear.

In terms of position of the signature and edition number, many artists sign below the print on a white border, or on the print itself.  I prefer the latter option because I like the mount to come to the edges of the print.

Something I see time and time again is artists signing the mount. This is a big no no, the reason being if the owner of the piece wants to re-frame the artwork, they will lose the signature, and the print will potentially lose any value it had.

So what do you do if you want to sign on the actual artwork and pencil won’t show up? The solution lies with archival ink pens. These pens should not fade and will stay visible on the print. Simple.

So in summary, if you are an artist or a print buyer make sure the signature is in pencil or pen with archival ink.

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