Certificates of Authenticity: what's your setup?
Last week I sold a framed print and realized my certificate of authenticity looked like it was printed on a gas station receipt. Got me thinking about how other artists handle these.
For photography, I've been including a small image of the print on the certificate, but I'm not sure that's even necessary. And honestly, the ink from my home printer probably won't outlast the print itself, which feels like a problem for something that's supposed to verify authenticity for years down the road. I've thought about using a print on demand service for something more polished and longer lasting, but I haven't pulled the trigger.
Do you include an image of the work on your certificates? And are you printing them at home or using an outside service? Curious what's actually working for people and whether the extra effort matters to buyers.
This is something I've been thinking about too since I'm getting closer to releasing prints. The idea of using a manual embosser is really interesting to me. I feel like that kind of tactile detail, something you can actually feel on the paper, goes a long way toward making a certificate feel like it belongs with the work instead of just being an afterthought. I started looking at templates online and there are so many free ones that gave me a better sense of layout and what to include. For the paper itself, I think printing on a heavier matte stock makes a difference. Even if it's still coming off a home printer, it won't feel like that gas station receipt you mentioned. It's one of those small things that probably matters more to us than buyers realize, but I think it shows you care about the whole experience around the piece.