The Portland Metro Photographic News

PMPN has written on the subject of Certificates of Authenticity.  But the presence of a Certificate of Authenticity by itself cannot prove that the print accompanying the Certificate is not a counterfeit.  A Certificate of Authenticity has no permanent physical link to the print it references.  A skilled, but unethical, technician could easily make a near-perfect duplicate print and substitute it for the original.  How would an unsuspecting collector ever know?

Well, there must be an answer or this is going to be a very short article.  The latest and most promising answer to verifiable authenticity is ARTtrust.

The ARTtrust Company was founded in February, 2010 after a joint development project involving Prooftag and Hewlett‐Packard. The ARTtrust Company plans to promote ARTtrust as a worldwide standard for identifying, authenticating and tracking valuable artwork.

ARTtrust addresses three big questions from buyers that were sometimes difficult for sellers of photographic and art prints to answer:

• How can I be sure that what I am buying is genuine and that no other prints have been produced?
• Who actually created this particular print?
• Can I be sure this pigment print or art reproduction will last?

Serious photographers don’t alter edition sizes because the risk to their reputation is too great. But there is another point to be mentioned: Unlike negatives or transparencies, digital files always deliver the absolute same information, meaning that copies can be 100% consistent with the “original.” This increases the risk that perfect copies of a print can be made without the knowledge or approval of the photographer, artist, or other copyright holder. This risk isn’t exclusive to pigment prints. Many high value products all over the world are counterfeited and sold to unsuspecting buyers every year.

Knowing that the photographer or artist was involved in creating a particular print also matters because so much of the visual power of a great print comes from decisions the artist makes about tiny subtleties in color, contrast, toning, and detail. Many important nuances of a powerful image can be lost if a print has been copied without the involvement or approval of the photographer or artist.

Through ARTtrust, photographers and artists can certify that each print is authentic. It goes beyond a signature, which can easily reproduced.

The further away a transaction occurs from the artist, the greater the need for certification and authentication.

Many buyers also want a way to verify that pigment prints were created with inks and materials that will stand the test of time.

ARTtrust enables photographers and artists to prove each print is unique and authentic.  This high-tech identification system assures buyers of art prints (including pigment prints, photographs, digital art, and reproductions) that the print is the same print that was certified by the artist or photographer.

How Does ARTtrust Work?

ARTtrust pairs each individual print its own non‐reproducible Bubble Tag™ with an identification number that makes it possible to authenticate who created the artwork and trace when ownership rights to the art have changed hands.

An online record associated with each Bubble Tag™ can provide information about the printer, inks, and materials used to produce the print.

If a print media has been tested by Wilhelm Imaging Research and printed with Vivera inks on an HP Designjet Z printer, the ARTtrust record will show the WIR Print Permanence Rating for the media used to create that registered print.

Wilhelm Imaging Research (WIR) is the world’s leading permanence testing and preservation authority for photography and digital printing. The WIR Print Permanence Rating shows how long the print can be expected to last without noticeable fading under specified display or dark‐storage conditions. Many combinations of HP Vivera pigment inks and fine art media have WIR Print Permanence Ratings of more than 250 years.

What Is a Bubble Tag?

An ARTtrust Bubble Tag™ contains a random set of air bubbles encapsulated in a translucent polymer film. There is no technical way to reproduce each Bubble Tag’s tridimensional code and the tags cannot be removed without altering the visual appearance of the film layer.

How Are Bubble Tags Used?

When an art print is sold, the photographer or artist applies a silver Bubble Tag to the back of the print, a gold Bubble Tag to the customer’s certificate of authenticity, and a blue Bubble Tag to their own copy of the certification document. The photographer or artist then registers the tag number on ARTtrust Online.

Sellers or buyers who want to verify the authenticity of a particular print can visit ARTtrust Online and input the number of the Bubble Tag on the print. The online records will show an image of the print, an enlarged view of the print’s unique Bubble Tag configuration, the name of the artist, and the printing

method and materials used.

Galleries, auction houses, and other sellers of art prints who want to verify who created a print have unrestricted access to view the galleries of registered prints. However, to protect the privacy of the photographers and artists whose work is displayed in the galleries, all personal information is protected with a password.

Will ARTtrust Only Be Available to Pigment Prints Created on an HP Designjet Z Printer?

No. The system was designed to work with all types of photographs, lithographs, serigraphs, and other forms of printed art.

Initially, the only pigment prints that can be registered on ARTtrust Online will be those created on an HP Designjet Z series printer with HP Vivera pigment inks and compatible media. In the foreseeable future, ARTtrust Online will be available to photographers and artists who want to register prints created with other pigment inks and printers.

How Much Do Bubble Tags Cost and Where Can I Buy Them?

The Bubble Tags cost $18 for each three‐label set and are sold in 20‐count packages. First, photographers and artists must purchase an ARTtrust membership card and set up a personal space on ARTtrust Online. This membership fee is $90.

Once photographers and artists are enrolled, they can purchase sets of Bubble Tags directly through ARTtrust Online or from or printmakers, print‐service providers, galleries, or resellers of HP professional photo printers and compatible media.

Visit the ARTtrust Online website and learn more.  You may be witnessing the photographic version of DNA identification in the making.