Selling prints? limited editions and certificates of authenticity. Hahnemühle COA and myartregistry

[@liveinaweorg]

Thank you Keith. I bookmarked the Hahnemuhle COA site ages ago and it is great to see how it works. I have little doubt they will all sell by the way.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks! ;-)

[@oliverscuriosities]

I saw these for the first time at the photography show last weekend. It's not a concept that I have thought about before but I quite like the idea.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - it can be a very effective marketing add-on, if you're doing editions.

[@ashstubbings2603]

Good to see you at the Photography Show on Monday Keith. 😊😊

[@KeithCooper]

Likewise - it was not when I expected to be there, but thanks to all who said hello

[@liveinaweorg]

@@KeithCooper I hope you'll go again next year; be lovely to say hello and thank you in person.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - It looks as if photography shows in the UK are changing... There is a new one in June [Click Live] near Coventry, which will feature all the big names. I'll definitely be at that one, in some capacity ;-) Meanwhile, the Photography Show will be moving to London next year [at ExCel] and won't be back at the NEC until 2026 I live in Leicester, and it takes a very good reason to get me to voluntarily visit London ;-)

[@zimmerman421]

Thanks for the video Keith. I was wondering what else is in the box besides the holograms ?

[@KeithCooper]

The cut sheets of paper [deckle edged]

[@MrX-zz2vk]

9:30 I strongly agree. 😆 Several years ago, someone suggested to me that I should do a limited edition of one of my images at "1500 prints." I looked at him like "You've got to be friggin kidding me!" But i more politely shook my head and said "I don't see that happening. I only want to print on demand because i don't want to commit to a huge number of prints that's either going to co$t me a lot to print myself in terms of ink & paper or have a pro lab do it in large volume which will also co$t a lot. And if that level of demand isn't there, then I'm out a lot of money and resources." I did have several prints made of it, both horizontal & vertical, and by both inkjet and lab printed via Lightjet process. Today, if i were having large 24x36"(sorry, don't know what that is in cm)prints made, I'd likely go facemount acrylic by inkjet. Anyway, i think i limited those print runs to about a dozen maximum. Those COA kits by Hahnemuhle are pretty cool and most likely the way I'd go if doing a limited edition run today in terms of validating the legitimacy of my prints and print process. Back then, i went the low-tech route of using a rubber stamp with the copyright symbol along with my nane & address. I'd stamp that onto blank inkjet address labels and then stick that onto the back of the prints opposite the top center white margin area. One thing I'd add, and i was thinking about this while watching your previous video yesterday on selling prints, is that to go the extra mile(okay, kilometer)for your potentially fussy Premium customers, put all those prints in archival print sleeves with an archival rated board backing for extra rigidity. Although you're probably going to be printing on a thicker, heavier paper anyway, the extra support of that archival board backing could protect the prints even more. That extra expen$e to you will mean of course that you'll have to pass that on to those clients in price as well. But the overall presentation and most importantly, the added protection will be worth it.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes, good points. I'd just note that I've only ever shipped bare prints in tubes, since I've rarely had a local market, and where I have, I've worked with a framer - framing tastes vary widely, so I keep well away from that aspect. PS I'm old enough to use inches/centimetres/miles interchangeably. I estimate in inches, calculate in millimetres ;-)

[@MrX-zz2vk]

​@@KeithCooper 👍

[@johntaylor38]

I love the print by the way.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks!

[@FotograafHarrieOudeHampsink]

Thank you very much for this again interesting video. I'v seen your video about Hahnemühle paper to and decided to buy Photo Rag Barita and it is amazing. Thanks for the tip. I was wondering, they also sell a protective aerosol spray. Do you have experience with this.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks. I don't like the sprays [any sprays, not just this one] they all give me a headache very quickly ;-)

[@johntaylor38]

Just wondering what your idea about putting these prints behind glass and how that changes the look of the print.

[@KeithCooper]

I prefer low reflectance glass, but a lot depends on how the print is lit and the viewing environment. For some locations, glass is very difficult - it still protects the print in a way that coatings don't [and I don't like coatings in general, other than for canvas]

[@jefffenske1958]

Thanks, Keith. A fun project idea for a video?? Would you be interested in doing a video explaining Hahnemuhle's 4x6 cards? I saw Veronica Cotter from Hahnemühle tell how much she like these in a 2022 video, her favorite Hahnemühle product. Some highlights There were less in 2022, but now in 2024, there are 12 Hahnemuhle papers in 4x6" and 7 papers in the almost-5.8x8.3". The 4x6 includes Photo Rag Metallic, along with some of their standards and with papers in their natural line. Cotton backed papers would be nice for the feel factor! She mentioned these uses, and only uses 4x6 herself: Promo cards - a standout alternative to a business card Post cards. "They go through the mail quite nicely; though, there may be a little abrasion." Note cards. Text can be printed on the back; or we can write on the back with a 0.5 micron pen. Send in envelopes from paper stores. Holiday and birthday cards. Graduation announcement cards. She makes recipe cards. One popular one she gives to friends. She high centers a square photo in portrait mode. In landscape mode, she often sets images in a 16:9 or longer format higher in the space, instead of being centered. She scanned all her Polaroids onto these. Her cards all had white borders, but one was borderless. They're only about $1 per card, and come in a tin. Hahnemuhle has a 8.5x11” template to place cards on in the center with double-stick tape. This makes printing borderless possible without getting any ink on the printer. But what kind of double-stick tape would be used, and how much, to use the same template again?? The only person I saw online trying to print these successfully used the template method with one piece of tape, it looked like. He then tried to print the 4x6 card directly, and it wouldn’t print, he thought because the card is not exactly 4x6. Could you please explain this? He was using a fairly small printer, maybe a 13", and it still wouldn't take. These look like a lot of fun, and women especially may be interested in these. A way to get more women interested in your channel?

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - I have a box of these 'somewhere' and if I'm entirely honest I could not see, for myself, any actual use for them - now, reading your huge list, I still can't ;-) :-) Not quite true - maybe business cards - the template/tape method could cause issues if there was any strong bend in the paper path However... I'll file this away and next time I have a smaller printer here for testing I'll re-visit it, since I have a big collection of pre-creased cards and envelopes as well

[@jefffenske1958]

@@KeithCooper Well, we all have different personalities. And contrary to what only recently is now popular opinion, women may appreciate these more than men. Veronica is herself a good example, enthusiastically telling us this was her favorite Hahnemuhle product, and it sounded like her husband was involved in the printing of them. For guys, they would be high end business cards, and I think they would be a fun way to introduce people to our prints for only $1 each. They could also experience the tactile feel of the paper in their hand, especially the cotton rag, but I wonder if the cotton backs could be written or printed type on. Veronica didn't say which paper backs could be printed type on and written with a pen. Would that work on cotton rag paper's backsides? I did find the video in which Veronica was interviewed and the host tried printing two cards, one with Hahnemuhle's 8.5x11" template and one just by itself, which the printer wouldn't accept. He was using a Canon Pro-300 13" pigment ink printer. Also of note: I haven't checked all of Hahnemuhle's papers, but for those I have they do have profiles for the Canon Pro-200 dye ink printers, but none for Epson dye ink printers. Perhaps your wife might be interested in these cards. I think they'd be fun gifts, a meaningful way we could share our images, demonstrating the high quality. This also doesn't break the bank - an inexpensive way to share the LOVE! I'm guessing that at least 90% of your video viewers are men, just as almost all of the participants in the forums are men. And it's not just because of some characters that drove women away, which probably didn't happen much in the printing forums anyway, and certainly hasn't happened here on your KZbin page. Guys are just by nature more technical and women are more artsy, by design; though, of course, there are some exceptions. It's great that we're not the same! Thanks for considering this. Perhaps it could help grow your channel. I'm definitely interested in learning from your expertise regarding this. It's a way of getting our prints into their hands - so much better than seeing the same image on an iPhone!

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - it's why I include quite a bit of card and non-photo related printing in my testing. I'm not saying I don't want to cover it at all, just that it'll likely be when I next have a smaller printer to test. I also have to allow for different audiences in these, not just whether I use inches or centimetres - 'scrapbooking' for example is very much a US thing. Few would know of it here, and likely even fewer in Europe.

[@fredbaas1202]

Don’t peel the holograms off. Just bend the backing paper so the decal comes loose a bit, position it on the back of the artwork or COA, pull the backing paper of while rubbing the hologram on the the paper. As you mentioned in your video peeling it will tear it in pieces. 😉

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - an effective 'anti-tamper' measure!

[@oneeyedphotographer]

I think Christian Fletcher sells limited editions, almost certainly Tony Hewitt too. But they are both awarded International Landscape Photographer of the year. CF has a walk-in gallery in Dunsborough, I don't know where TH sells his prints.

[@KeithCooper]

Ah yes, such awards can work wonders for marketing purposes if you can work it properly. That said, I don't know any of those you mention - I'm terrible with remembering names [any - not just photographers]

[@synaptophysin]

I find writing the title etc. with black ink on a non-matte (glossy etc.) photo paper to be distracting in an overmatted print that shows the title etc. This is not the case when graphite pencil is used on a matte paper print, whether photo, etching, woodblock, etc. because the pencil is a lighter neutral gray. After considerable searching I found Copic Multiliner archival pigment ink pens are available in several shades of gray, different widths, and will write on non-matte photo papers. The Cool Gray ink is close to a graphite pencil gray and the 0.5mm or 0.8mm width pens produce a line similar to that of a graphite pencil. The Cool Gray is available in twelve (!) shades of gray; my pen is not labeled as to which Cool Gray but appears to be about Cool Gray 6 or 7.

[@KeithCooper]

Good points Personally, my preference is to put any signature along the edge where it is never meant to be seen - also there is quite deliberately no title on any of my prints. Different markets expect different approaches though...

[@kevins8575]

I think your "Marketing Director" will be quite surprised. 😊

[@KeithCooper]

Hope so... ;-)

[@oneeyedphotographer]

Can you talk about cyanotype and other alternative processes?

[@KeithCooper]

Not really... to be honest, I got rid of all my darkroom gear [trays etc] 20+ years ago, and have no desire to go back to any wet photography. I also don't much like the look of cyanotypes.

[@oneeyedphotographer]

@@KeithCooper It's a skill being taught at TAFE. The first part is printing a negative, and I can imagine you doing that. The darkroom part, it was worth asking, TAFE describes a process that works, prescribes the OHP transparent film to use, even supplies it. There's even a curves adjustment layer provided to bend the image into shape for the particular film. I'm autistic, all sorts of technical stuff interests me, even if I don't expect to use the information. The film has become hard to find, worldwide, so the lecturers need to find and calibrate another film. Oh, there's calibrated printer for the job too..

[@KeithCooper]

Yes, I do read about this on the QTR mailing list - there are quite a few alt-process discussion groups. I may revisit QTR for printing again, at some point [I have some related articles from years ago on the Northlight site], but just for printing on paper.

[@killpop8255]

I remember Eddie Ephraums saying when he'd done a print as best as he could...he'd burn the negative. That's pretty...frightening idea to do! My rent doubled last week. Sorry Keith!

[@KeithCooper]

If I did that, there would be quite a collection of disks to track down all the copies of raw files... Quite a few in assorted off-site locations. I expect Karen to win her bet ;-)

[@killpop8255]

@@KeithCooper hi Keith, wasn't suggesting it. Seemed an extreme move that stuck in my mind to destroy the neg. If would have at least tried to enclose a part of the neg to buyers: kinda unique, interesting to many, a show of strictly limited edition for all.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - doing that definitely goes against the grain for me ;-)

[@johnvaleanbaily246]

Let us know if they sell :)

[@KeithCooper]

I will ;-)

[@killpop8255]

PS I noticed your name being dropped on Tin House Studios channel last week or so. People wanted him to invite you to speak or chat. If you see an invite give it a once over.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - I should pop over to the other side of town!

[@cuttlepods]

I would be wary of anything hosted on somebody else's website. It's a neat idea, until the company (or a company that acquires them) decides it no longer wants to host all those pages on their site.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - I'd note that this does act as a backup to the physical holographic stickers and certificate, but anything can be a risk if you push it far enough... Depends on the market you are in...

[@cuttlepods]

​​@@KeithCooper Valid point about it being a backup to the stickers and certificate. If someone is going through the effort of marking and assigning certificates to their work, it's a factor I think is worth consideration, at the very least. Love your content, thanks!