Every physical print sold on this site ships with a certificate of authenticity, but a certificate is only as meaningful as what it actually locks in place. Worth knowing what’s on it, and why each line is there.
Edition Number and Edition Size
The certificate records your print’s number against the total edition size for that image and size — for example, 7 of 12. That size is fixed at the time the image is listed and never increased once prints start selling. This is the part that actually determines scarcity, more than the certificate itself.
Print Materials and Process
The certificate also states the paper and process used, so the specification travels with the print rather than living only in a listing that could change later. See Printing Process for the full standard every edition is held to.
Signature
Every print is hand-signed after inspection, not pre-signed in a batch. If a print fails inspection, it doesn’t get signed, doesn’t get numbered, and doesn’t count against the edition — it simply doesn’t exist as a saleable piece. The signature is the last step, not a formality before it.
Why This Matters If You’re Buying as an Investment
A certificate doesn’t guarantee a print will appreciate — nothing honestly can. What it guarantees is that the scarcity claim behind the price is real and permanent: the edition size on your certificate is the edition size that will exist in twenty years. That’s the actual thing being sold alongside the image itself. See Authenticity Certificates for exactly what ships with each print.