How to use the Certificate of Authenticity Generator
- Pick a template, paper and orientation. Classic has a double border for traditional painting and drawing, Modern is a minimal layout for design-led and digital work, and Gallery reads like a museum wall label. Choose US Letter or A4, landscape or portrait, and an accent color.
- Describe the work. Enter the artist, title, year, medium and dimensions. Dimensions follow the gallery convention of height × width × depth, and the other unit is added automatically: 30 × 24 in becomes “30 × 24 in (76.2 × 61 cm)”.
- Set the edition. Choose original, limited edition, artist’s proof or open edition. For limited editions and proofs, enter the number and the edition size, for example 12 of 50.
- Check the ID and statement. Every certificate gets an ID such as
ME-2025-7K3Q— the artist’s initials, the year and four random characters. Press New ID for another one, or type your own. The statement fills in the artist, title and year for you, and you can rewrite it freely. - Add a photo and export. Drop in a photo of the artwork, then press Download PDF or Print. Your details are remembered in this browser, and the photo is resized and kept on your device; it is never uploaded.
What a certificate of authenticity actually does
A certificate of authenticity (COA) is the artist’s written statement that a specific object is their genuine work, along with the facts needed to identify it. It travels with the piece, so the next owner, an insurer, an appraiser or an auction house can connect the object in front of them to the artist who made it.
A COA is not a legal guarantee in itself, and it doesn’t prove anything beyond the credibility of whoever signed it. A certificate from a living artist, issued at the time of sale and matched to the artist’s own records, carries real weight. A generic certificate with no description, no number and no record behind it carries very little. What makes the paper trustworthy is consistency: the same ID on the certificate, on the back of the work, on the invoice and in your inventory.
For prints, the certificate also records the edition. A buyer of print 12/50 is paying partly for scarcity, so the certificate should state the edition size and whether artist’s proofs exist. Some US states regulate how limited-edition prints are described when they are sold. If editions are a big part of your business, check the rules where you sell.
Fields, and who relies on them
| Field | Who relies on it | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Artist and title | Everyone | Use the title exactly as it appears on invoices and labels |
| Year | Collectors, catalogs | The year the work was completed, not the year it was sold |
| Medium | Conservators, insurers | Be specific: “oil on linen”, not just “painting” |
| Dimensions | Shippers, framers, insurers | Height first; include depth for canvases and objects |
| Edition | Print buyers, appraisers | State the size and number, such as 12/50, plus any proofs |
| Certificate ID | You, future owners | Write the same ID on the back of the work |
| Photo | Insurers, future owners | Shows which object the certificate belongs to |
| Signature and date | Everyone | Sign by hand in ink; a printed signature proves nothing |
Two things are better left off. A price or “estimated value” dates quickly, and a COA is not an appraisal, which is a separate valuation by a qualified appraiser. Claims about future value or investment potential don’t belong there either.
Making certificates harder to fake
Match the ID on the work. Write the certificate ID on the back of the canvas, the verso of a print or the base of a sculpture in pencil or archival ink. A certificate whose number doesn’t match the object is the first thing a careful buyer will notice. The default ID format uses a 32-character alphabet without look-alike characters such as 0 and O or 1 and I, so four characters give 32⁴ = 1,048,576 combinations per artist and year.
Keep a register. Record every certificate you issue: ID, title, buyer and date. The Art Inventory Tracker works for this — add the ID to the inventory number or the notes. If someone later asks whether a certificate is genuine, you can check it in seconds.
Add a physical mark. An embossing seal pressed through the signature, a numbered hologram sticker with a matching sticker on the artwork, or a thumbprint in ink are all hard to reproduce. None are required, but each makes a photocopy obvious.
Print on good paper. A heavy, acid-free paper of around 200–300 gsm feels like a document worth keeping and holds up in a sleeve for decades. Print at 100% scale (“Actual size” in the print dialog) so the borders sit evenly.
Tips from practice
Issue the certificate when the work leaves, not later. A certificate written on the day of sale, with the buyer’s name in your register, is far more convincing than one mailed months afterwards.
Use one statement and stick to it. Collectors who own several of your works will compare certificates. Keep the wording, template and ID format the same so they read as a series.
Plan edition numbers before you print. Decide the edition size and proof count before the first sheet comes off the press, then number in order. The Print Edition Numbering Calculator helps you set sizes and price steps.
Store a PDF copy of every certificate. Name the file with the ID, for example ME-2025-7K3Q.pdf. If a certificate is lost, you can reissue it with a note saying it replaces the original, and keep the same ID.
Sign in pigment ink. Ballpoint and gel inks can fade or bleed over time. A pigment-based archival pen keeps the signature as permanent as the artwork it vouches for.