Digital BW, The Print

Personally, I think photos are best signed on the back so it doesn't 
matter much which pencil you use:)

When I was into print making (stone litho and etchings...) I did sign 
and number on the front and really had to test the pencils for each 
type of paper since they are all different.  You want a fairly hard 
pencil so it isn't so dark as to over-power your print (or smudge)... 
you also have to have a nice casual hand writing style... too formal 
or forced looks stupid and sloppy without flair also looks stupid... 
then you also have to decide if you should title each piece... and 
how good are your titles really?  Do they really add to your image 
when they are being viewed or do they just look like you did it 'cuz 
you thought you were supposed to?  Some photographers think a hand 
written signature etc. adds a feeling of being handcrafted... 

Even high art paintings are rarely signed on the front... even being 
considered tacky by some (I know, I signed the paintings I showed in 
a traditional manner and caught hell for it... at least from a few 
people).

mark

--- In 
DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "regimechangeusa" 
<regimechangeusa@y...> wrote:
> Two questions
> 
> I know many people prefer to use pencil to sign matte prints. But 
what kind? There 
> are so many in the art stores, I'm wondering if anyone has a 
favorite type worth 
> recommending. Something soft enough going on but wont smudge?
> 
> Should the size of the signature be proportional to the size of the 
print? IOW, would 
> you use a larger stroke to sign a 24x24" than a 12x12"?
> 
> Thanks,
> Al