what causes sharpie sigs to do this?

[Taxman]

Probably left cap off to long or did not warmup sharpie prior to use. I always use staedtler markers.

[Klrdds]

I have seen this before with his signature many times on pictures in sharpie and baseballs in ink . The problem is his "Y" is so long and drawn out that the sharpie or pen does not keep the same pressure on the picture or ball throughout the formation of the "Y" resulting in this signature quirk at times.

[hawaiian bam bam]

thank you guys for your help with this and for the clarification. when i see autographs like this one, i always thought this meant that sharpies fades away over time. and i also have seen some sharpie"bleed" into the photo or postcard. so i appreciate you clearing that up for me.

[Exhibitman]

Some sharpie markings do fade over time, especially the color ones. I had a photo signed display in my office that faded significantly due to the UV rays from the fluorescent lighting. Yet others don't. A secretarial Sean Connery I stupidly purchased has been on the wall in my office for 17 years without showing any signs of diminution.

[khkco4bls]

Or the ink can't keep up with the speed of the signature being done

[dgo71]

Originally Posted by khkco4bls

Or the ink can't keep up with the speed of the signature being done

That's the case here. This happens a lot with brand new sharpies that haven't been worn in a little. Whenever I grab a new sharpie, I break the tip in just a little by scribbling on the back of a checklist card or something. Once they get flowing you don't get this problem that much, but if someone signs fast (especially with lots of loops) and/or presses down hard on the pen while signing, they are more prone to streak. Also, sharpies will streak more on non-glossy cards that cards with a glossy finish.

Sharpie that fades doesn't usually look like the pen skips. The blue just turns into a muddled greyish-purplish color but the ink is still consistent throughout the signature.

[hawaiian bam bam]

so is the group consensus, that sharpie DOES fade over time? thanks

[jimjim]

Originally Posted by dgo71

That's the case here. This happens a lot with brand new sharpies that haven't been worn in a little. Whenever I grab a new sharpie, I break the tip in just a little by scribbling on the back of a checklist card or something. Once they get flowing you don't get this problem that much, but if someone signs fast (especially with lots of loops) and/or presses down hard on the pen while signing, they are more prone to streak. Also, sharpies will streak more on non-glossy cards that cards with a glossy finish.

Sharpie that fades doesn't usually look like the pen skips. The blue just turns into a muddled greyish-purplish color but the ink is still consistent throughout the signature.

Steadtler also streaks with loops. Most of the Frank Thomas HOF postcards signed with steadtler have a bit of streaking in the loop part of his signature.