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How to sign and number prints

Where each mark goes, what 7/25 means, how to choose an edition size, and how to keep the certificates in step with the prints.

Updated 7 min read By the Certificate of Authenticity Template team

On this page 9 sections
  1. The short answer
  2. The standard layout: number, title, signature
  3. What 7/25 means
  4. Choosing an edition size
  5. Proofs: AP, PP and HC
  6. Open editions
  7. Signing on the back, and photographic prints
  8. Matching certificates to prints
  9. FAQ

The short answer

Sign and number a print in soft pencil in the margin just below the image:

  • Left: the edition number, written as a fraction: 7/25 is print 7 of 25.
  • Center: the title, if you use one.
  • Right: your signature, usually followed by the year.

Never change the edition size once you have sold a print, never use a number twice, and give every print its own matching certificate.

The standard layout: number, title, signature

This layout is a convention, not a rule, but it is the one collectors and galleries expect, so it is the safe choice. It works the same for etchings, linocuts, screenprints and digital prints.

7/25 Harbor Light, No. 3 Ferreira-Lindqvist 2026 1 2 3
  1. Edition number at the left, under the image.
  2. Title in the middle, if you use one.
  3. Signature and year at the right.
In pencil, about 1 cm (⅜ in) below the image. Pencil marks sit in the margin, close enough to the image to read as one, but never on it.
  • Use pencil. A soft graphite pencil (HB to 2B) does not fade, bleed or smear, and it shows it was written by hand, not printed.
  • Leave room. Write about 1 cm (⅜ in) below the image, light enough that you do not dent the paper.
  • Sign the way you always sign, so the print and its certificate can be compared.
  • Write the title in quotation marks or leave it off; many artists use it only on the certificate.

What 7/25 means

7/25 means this is print 7 in an edition of 25. The second number is the total that will ever exist in that edition, at that size, from that matrix (the plate, block, screen or file). The first number says which one you are holding.

Numbered edition 25 prints, each marked n/25

Proofs outside the edition, 3 artist proofs

“Harbor Light, No. 3”: 25 numbered prints plus 3 artist proofs. Print 7/25 is highlighted. The proofs are not part of the 25.

Numbers do not have to follow the order you printed in, and for most modern prints a lower number is not better. What matters is that each number is used once and the total is honest.

Choosing an edition size

There is no correct size. Think about:

  • The technique. Some blocks and plates wear or are destroyed as you print. A reduction linocut is cut away color by color, so the edition is whatever survives the last color.
  • Demand. Pick a number you can realistically sell. An edition that never sells out is not a problem, but it tells buyers something.
  • Cost and format. Large prints on cotton paper cost more to make and frame; small editions of large work are common.
  • Every size you plan. If you will print the same image at two sizes, decide now whether they are separate editions or share one total, and say so on the certificates.

Hand-printed editions are often 10 to 50; digital editions run from a handful to a few hundred. Once the first print is sold, the total is fixed. Printing more later, or starting a “new” edition of the same image at the same size, breaks the promise the number made.

Proofs: AP, PP and HC

Proofs are prints from the same run that sit outside the numbered edition. They are marked in place of the number, and they do not count toward the total.

AP, artist proof (or E.A., épreuve d’artiste): prints the artist keeps or sells separately, often numbered among themselves, such as AP 2/3. A common convention is about one artist proof for every ten prints. artist proofs explained goes further.

PP, printer’s proof: a print kept by the printer or print studio that made the edition, as a record and a thank-you.

HC, hors commerce (“not for trade”): prints made for exhibition, reference or a publisher’s archive rather than sale.

Open editions

An open edition has no fixed total, so its prints are not numbered. You can still sign them; many artists sign open editions and leave the left side blank, or write “open edition”. On the certificate, choose Open edition rather than a number, so nobody mistakes it for a limited edition.

Signing on the back, and photographic prints

Sign on the back when the image runs to the edge of the paper, or when a mark on the front would spoil it. Use the same layout (number, title, signature and year) in the lower part of the back, away from the image area, and press lightly.

Photographic prints follow the same idea. Matte fiber and baryta papers take a soft pencil in the margin. Glossy and resin-coated papers reject pencil: use an archival pigment pen, let it dry, and test it on an offcut of the same paper first. Never use a ballpoint, which can dent through to the image. For the certificate, see certificates for photographic prints.

Matching certificates to prints

Give every print its own certificate, with the same number written on both. The certificate also gets its own reference, so print 7/25 of “Harbor Light, No. 3” carries certificate COA-2026-0418. Keep a list of numbers, certificate references and buyers as you sell, and you will never issue a number twice. Our certificate maker keeps the edition number and the certificate number in separate fields, so the two never get mixed up. Our page on making a certificate for each print in the edition covers the whole run.

Edition Rosette design in Gilt ivory, with an artwork photo, filled in for a sample limited edition print, 7/25

Edition Rosette design

Limited edition print, 7/25

The edition fraction sits in the rosette; the certificate number is separate.

Issued by
Tomás Ferreira-Lindqvist
Work
Harbor Light, No. 3
Medium
Archival pigment print on 308 gsm cotton rag paper
Size
16 × 20 in
Edition
Edition 7 of 25
Certificate no.
COA-2026-0418
Open this example
Archive Ledger design in Archive navy, with an artwork photo, filled in for a sample linocut edition, 12/40

Archive Ledger design

Linocut edition, 12/40

A reduction linocut, 12/40: the statement says no more can be printed.

Issued by
Rafael Osei
Work
Allotments in November
Medium
Three-color reduction linocut on Japanese kozo paper
Size
30 × 40 cm
Edition
Edition 12 of 40
Certificate no.
RO-LINO-2026-12
Open this example

Archive Ledger, a design for numbered editions, puts the number on a dark spine where it is read first. Whichever design you choose, the number and total stay the same when you switch.

The next print in a few seconds

With a free account, every certificate you download is saved as issued. Duplicate it to make the next number; the editor can also warn you when a number in the same series has already been used.

Frequently asked questions

Where do you sign and number a print?

In pencil in the margin under the image: the edition number at the left, the title in the middle if you use one, and your signature, often with the year, at the right.

What does 7/25 mean on a print?

It is the seventh print in an edition of 25. The number after the slash is the total that will ever be made in that edition.

Are lower numbers worth more?

Usually not for modern digital prints, where every impression is the same. For some hand-pulled techniques early impressions can differ, but most collectors value condition and the edition size more than the number.

Should I sign prints in pencil or pen?

Pencil is the traditional choice for works on paper because it does not fade, bleed or smear. On photographic or coated papers that reject pencil, use an archival pigment pen and test on a scrap first.

What is a good edition size?

There is no rule. Small hand-printed editions are often 10 to 50; larger digital editions run to a few hundred. Choose a number you can sell, then never print beyond it.