Berol Prismacolor art pencil for labeling photographs

Artemis BonaDea's request for information on the suitability of Berol
Prismacolour art pencils for labelling photographic prints stirs up a
interesting dilemma for the photographer/custodian /conservator.

The photographer traditionally likes to mark the rear of his/her print
with a mark for copyright, the custodian looks to mark the print both
for reasons of security and identification whilst the conservator seeks
to prevent any defacing that might lead to structural damage or decay.

The question, what is safe or not, to directly label prints with is one
we are continually confronted with and I admit to being negative in my
own response. Writing implements of any kind in the wrong hands lead to
damage, whether the medium used be of archival specification or not
since the real damage occurs from the pressure the writer inflicts on
the back of the print/item.

Many photographers prefer instead to use ink stamps but resin coated
material does not lend itself to the ink residue.

Artemis BonaDea has certainly stirred up a hornets nest and I for one
look forward to hearing from other subscribers.

Mark G. Vine
Conservation Resources Ltd

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 8:64
                Distributed: Thursday, February 16, 1995
                        Message Id: cdl-8-64-009
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