Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Rich on July 7, 2016 at 1:20pm

I would think okay, though perhaps not ideal. Curious what the strategy for using one would be. You can always test it on a glossy scrap photo if one is available.

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Permalink Reply by Mike White on July 7, 2016 at 1:55pm

Do you know of anything more ideal to yield skinnier lines?

There are some signers out there whose signatures are essentially blobs when they sign with the standard felt tip.

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Permalink Reply by Rich on July 7, 2016 at 1:59pm

A brand new standard sharpie would probably give you the desired effect. I've gotten things signed on a couple of occasions with an unused Sharpie, and it gives a much finer signature than one that's been used or prepped more.

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Permalink Reply by Mike White on July 7, 2016 at 2:02pm

That also depends on the pressure the signer uses.

I've never handled the Ultra Fine Sharpies before (I'm inquiring before purchasing), but the mechanics based on the pictures I've seen seem like they're also more consistent, regardless of pressure. I could be way off on that though. (Adding it to my OP as a new question now)

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Permalink Reply by Rich on July 7, 2016 at 2:11pm

I think the best thing would probably be just to test them yourself to see what the variance, consistency, reliability, etc would be. If you don't have any scrap glossy photos, you can always just print a few small prints up at walgreens for cheap. At least you'll know for sure. 

My instinct would be not to use them for glossy photos. I can almost see the signature being too thin, or the finer point possibly causing even more of an indentation in the photo than you'd want (again, this is just off the top of my head - I've used fine tip sharpies before, but not so much for autographs). I still think the "brand new Sharpie" approach is good, because it should sign a fine signature, unless whoever is signing is just using a bizarre amount of pressure.

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Permalink Reply by Mike White on July 7, 2016 at 2:37pm

...unless whoever is signing is just using a bizarre amount of pressure.

I suppose I should just say that my main goal here is Stan Lee (and, yes, I know that it's crapshoot on whether or not he'll even switch markers), who is kinda well known for using that "bizarre amount of pressure" (and putting the letters way too close to each other).

At $100 a pop, I want to get the most out of the money--which, in this case, means trying avoid the infamous "Stan Lee blob".

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Permalink Reply by Rich on July 7, 2016 at 2:42pm

Ah, I get you. But can you even ask Stan to use a specific pen? I met him a few years ago, and it was such a rigid assembly line with virtually no interaction.

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Permalink Reply by Mike White on July 7, 2016 at 3:10pm

Like I said, it's a crapshoot. I have seen stories of success, but, actually, none of failure. It strikes me as one of those things where people see how rigid things are so they don't even really try, though I wouldn't be surprised if people did have such requests refused.

Stan himself is a great guy, but at this point, he's practically blind and deaf, so it all comes down to his people (or, perhaps more specifically, his "guy", Max). Max pretty much runs the show, even beyond autographs--at Wizard World Chicago's Stan Lee panel, he actually interrupted the Q&A at one point to get Stan to stop talking, out of fear that Stan was about to violate an NDA. So it wouldn't be Stan that you'd want to ask (he wouldn't be able to hear you anyway, honestly; whether or not he'd even see the pen if you held it out to him is up for debate)--it'd be Max.

To me, it's one of those things where if it works out, you come away with (hopefully) a better than average signature. If it doesn't, you get a standard signature and lose just the cost of the new fine point markers. It's not like the Soup Nazi where they kick you out of line with a "No autograph for you". Little to lose and a lot to gain.

I'll be honest: my first thought before looking into the fine point markers was the same as your suggestion, but I'm sure you've seen the infamous "blob"--by the "Lee", the amount of pressure he exerts just seems like it'd render it futile.

Though it's possible I'm overreacting or that he'd kill even the fine point marker.

With a $100 convention autograph, I just want to optimize the chances for it to be perfect. He seemingly hasn't signed legibly in years, so I'd be happy just being able to tell that it's comprised of different letters, rather than just an overarching massive blob.

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Permalink Reply by Paul on July 7, 2016 at 4:16pm

I haven't read the whole thread, but this is fine point art pen ,but it's an lp.

Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on July 7, 2016 at 6:20pm

I've gotten the Stan Lee blob and it is disappointing. That said, I've used ultra fine points and they can be skippy and weak and blend into the background too much. 

As someone else suggested, I'd use a regular fine point Sharpie with a brand new tip and hope for the best.

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Permalink Reply by Mike White on July 7, 2016 at 8:22pm

That skipping was the first thing I noticed in Paul's pic (no offense, Paul).

$100 for an autograph is a lot for me. Heck, anything over $30 is a lot for me--it's why I didn't take the plunge with Stan until now, and that's really just out of sheer desperation, since this stands to be my last chance.

I want a perfect autograph, which, with Stan, seems to be an impossibility. It seems to be a "pick your poison" thing--and that's assuming that you can get him to put down the overused marker in the first place.

The only other thing I can think of besides Sharpies would be to get the photo printed on fine art paper and see if Stan will sign in pencil.

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Permalink Reply by Mike White on July 7, 2016 at 9:39pm

The only other thing I can think of besides Sharpies would be to get the photo printed on fine art paper and see if Stan will sign in pencil.

I actually think we're going to go this route. If he signs in the pencil, great. If he doesn't, we still have a signed picture of good quality.

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