What do I use to sign photographs?

Well, if you’re printing on matte paper, you already know that you can use pretty much whatever you like: pencil, pen, markers…

…but if you’ve tried signing on the “resin coated” papers (glossy, luster, satin, semi-matte) you know that none of those work at all well.

The solution is to use a pigment pen, often called a “gel ink pen.”

My personal choice is the Sanford Uni-Ball Gel Impact 1.0mm metallic silver #60658.

I chose silver because it’s subtle against white paper, and doesn’t detract from the image, nor draw the eye off the image, as black ink does.

While I’ve seen these pens listed for $17 or more, a little searching on the internet will find them for less than $5.

hth