Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mike Shepherd on January 3, 2014 at 8:39pm

William, isn't it ironic that when you posted that eBay information about white sheets at the beginning of this discussion it was originally written by Michael H?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxvlKp-76io

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Permalink Reply by Michael T on January 4, 2014 at 8:38am

Actually Steve I have to respectfully disagree with you.

As an experiment I purchased a high end inkjet photo printer a few years ago. This was before I knew about white sheets and was thinking it might be a good option in case we needed to print out some photos at the last minute to get signed. They were very proud of their ink technology and their inks even used metal pigments. Very high end.

As an experiment I printed a photo and then hung it on the wall of my office. Not in direct sunlight and behind glass. At first it looked great and then over time it slowly stated to fade. After about 6 months only the yellows and reds were left.

Keep in mind this was a high-end product. Most people are not going to go to this level and will likely buy the cheapest unit they can afford and even possibly get their cartridges reloaded at the cheapest place possible.  In this case I bet they fade even faster.

Again, what bothers me and so many other legit IP collectors is that the people that sell these make no mention what so ever of what they are. They almost always state the item was professionally printed or its a professional quality print. They specifically avoid stating that is an actual photo lab produced photo. Which obviously it would not be.

There are plenty of IP collectors that use white sheets. It happens EVERY day.  I'm sure you can look on You Tube and find videos of people signing and you can witness the whitesheets for yourself. There is this one guy in LA that has perfected a little box/system (I won't share the details and it might make things worse out there) and all he does it get whitesheets signed then goes home and prints over them then sells them.

I have personally seen what happens over time when a Sharpie is put to inkjet paper. Inkjet paper was not designed to take sharpie ink.

Those of you with inkjet printers why not print out a photo and write on it with a Sharpie and see for yourselves.

I am not attacking anyone. How does that help this hobby? I am, as I wrote before, going to publicly call out anyone I see using them.

If it takes me looking bad in order to bring this to the light of everyone then so be it.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on January 4, 2014 at 11:24am

Michael,

Thanks for taking the time to tell us about your test. From what I've read and have seen, the newer inkjet photos printed on consumer level printers such as Epson, HP and Canon are quite fade resistant when same brand paper and cartridges are used (I don't know if there actually is much of a difference in similar purpose papers between brands). But storage, light, temperature and whether the photo is framed under UV acrylic "glass" and other factors makes a difference.

I have some Epson inkjet photos on my desk at home under UV acrylic that still look as good to me as they did when I framed them in 2008-9. But my windows filter out UV light, too.

Has anyone done a test comparing the durability of Costco and Walmart lab-printed photos to consumer inkjet printed ones? That would be valuable.

My biggest concern is when a seller doesn't identify photos printed on signed blanks, and only because few buyers even know about that.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on January 4, 2014 at 11:38am

Michael,

Did you set up this profile under the name WOA yesterday?

http://live.autographmagazine.com/profile/WOA

It lists Solana Beach as their location and WOA obviously refers to your company, World of Autographs. 

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Permalink Reply by Rick Meyer on January 5, 2014 at 11:09am

Michael that posted here owns World of Autographs? I've often wondered about that site. Didn't know who ran it.

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Permalink Reply by wascher on January 5, 2014 at 11:29am

Steve, just a note, Michael did ask me to delete his original account (Michael H aka Michael T) so he could make one as World Of Autographs instead.  I did not respond (or do it) because honestly, he could have easily identified himself as World of Autographs on the original account.   I didn't see this new account though until you brought it up.  Sorry I was super busy yesterday - and haven't been here in a day (not my norm)

-Wascher

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Permalink Reply by Mike Shepherd on January 4, 2014 at 1:00pm

Michael, what exactly have you personally seen happen over time when a Sharpie is put to inkjet paper?  What type of inkjet paper was it?  Can you post photos?  The only other person that has made the claim that a Sharpie will fade on inkjet paper is Rock G III in this discussion.

Also, thank you again for bringing this topic to our attention.  It is undoubtedly a valuable topic.  I also agree that sellers need to be forthcoming about the use of white sheets.

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Permalink Reply by Michael T on January 4, 2014 at 1:58pm

Mike, I did see blue sharpie put to Costco brand paper bleed badly. I also saw an actual whitesheet (printed onto paper after it was signed) where the sharpie ink had some sort of effect on the inkjet ink and it started to dissolve/spread. I have no photos that I kept. I may purchase some inkjet paper and do some testing with Sharpies. Unfortunately I don't have an inkjet but I am sure someone I know does for additional testing.

The problem with inkjet paper is it was designed to accept water based inks not sharpie ink.

I guess it would be fun to do a somewhat scientific test. If anyone has any suggestions I will gladly consider them.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Shepherd on January 4, 2014 at 2:04pm

How long did it take to bleed?  There are many different types of inkjet paper.

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Permalink Reply by JXE on January 5, 2014 at 10:18am

The more I've thought about this the more I feel the need to explain just how great of a seller Skyline is. Every time I've contacted him he's been more than professional. All of my items always have shipped quickly and have been high quality photos and signatures... never even a blurry image. I've contacted him about collecting some of the hardest autographs out there. We've agreed on a price and he's spent hours hunting people down. When he couldn't get someone recently he told me about how hard he worked... but he didn't complain at all about the fact that he would not be making a cent on those efforts. That's something to keep in mind when he prices something high that is rare as hell and took him hours--maybe days--to aquire. 

This claim of white sheets should be treated as a frivolous accusation until someone comes on here or complains in his feedback that they received one. There is simply no evidence that any items he has sold were signed sheets of computer paper with an image printed over them, and it's ridiculous that this is even a discussion.

When I look for examples of good autographs, the first place I look is Skyline. When I look for quality signatures that aren't rushed or smudged, the first place I look is Skyline. 

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Permalink Reply by Mike Shepherd on January 5, 2014 at 10:40am

I couldn't agree more JXE.

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Permalink Reply by Rick Meyer on January 5, 2014 at 10:59am

100% agree. I've bought stuff from him I think was A+. Got him trying to track me down a hard signer as well. We've agreed on a price already. He sticks to it. I think other dealer or in person collector bad statements about him are not factual. Actual customers are the best reviewers.

This seller is as solid as any I have dealt with.

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