I am new to Zenfolio but very happy with my experience so far. Is it possible to put a copyright symbol and my name on my pictures after they have been added to my Zenfolio website or does this need to be done before I upload my photos. If it is possible, what is the best way of doing this? I don't want this as a watermark (which I know you can do in Zenfolio) but as something that will print with the picture once someone orders it. 

Yes, you can change the Copyright to a photograph from its default of your Display Name at any time.

1. In the Organizer, click to select the gallery containing the photograph you would like to edit or double-click the gallery in the Main Area. Thumbnails from the gallery will load in the Main Area and the title of the gallery will display at the top.
2. In the Main Area, click to select a thumbnail of the photograph you would like to edit. The thumbnail will become highlighted and photo-related information will be loaded in the Toolbox.
3. Click Edit in the Description section of the Toolbox. A new popup window will open.
4. Click in the Copyright text box to highlight existing text and start typing. When finished, click Save to apply your changes and close the popup window. The new Copyright will be updated in the Description section of the Toolbox.

Note: The above steps can be applied to multiple selected items as one operation.

 Laura, thanks for your help. I followed your instructions and I saw where the copyright was changed but it does not appear on the photo it appears off to the right. If someone where to order the photo it doesn't seem like the copyright would be on the photo. Is this correct?

Are you wanting it to print on the photo side or on the back of the photo? 

To make it print on the back of the photo, click on "Selling" in the top navigation of the Organizer page. Then click on "Vendor Preferences" in the left navigation. This brings up a page that you can select Backprinting for Mpix products.

I hope that helps!

 Thank you for this information. I really want it to print on the front, is this possible?

Eloy:

I really want it to print on the front, is this possible?

If you want to have a copyright notice permanently placed on your images, you can do this using Photoshop by placing a layer you create on the image. If you flatten the image, or save it as anything other than a layered .psd file, you will not be able to remove it.

If you want to have a copyright notice placed on your images so they appear on Zenfolio (or anywhere else on the web), but not have it print on the image if a lab such as MPix should print it for you, then you should opt for having Zenfolio create the copyright notice as a watermark. You would need to create your own copyright notice image (again, in say Photoshop) and save it to your computer and upload that to your Zenfolio account when you go through the create watermark process.

I hope that makes sense. You can find the necessary information on the Zenfolio site about how best to create a custom watermark to upload.

~ trace

 Trace,

Thank you that makes it very clear for me. I have placed a copyright notice on my images before using Photoshop and now it is clear that if I want the copyright notice to print on the front of my images that are ordered via my zenfolio site that I have to add it to my images before I upload them to my zenfolio site.

I do understand that I can add a copyright watermark in zenfolio that will be visible on my images but does not print on the image if it is ordered by someone.

I think I've got it now. Thanks for the help.

Glad it helped Eloy. I'm not sure where, but I also seem to recall in these forums, some discussion that MPix allows for printing copyright info on the back of images. Many labs offer this. I realize that's not what you are looking for, but it is another option if anyone asks...

~ trace

I have had this option turned on for months.  I don't see many of my own prints, and only just recently saw a batch.  No MPIX information was printed on the back.  How do I fix this?  Is there anyone I can notify?

KarenMyers:

I have had this option turned on for months.  I don't see many of my own prints, and only just recently saw a batch.  No MPIX information was printed on the back.  How do I fix this?  Is there anyone I can notify?

Please contact customer support so that we can help you further.

Eloy,

If you want some text to appear on the FRONT of the photo, not just when it's viewed online but when it prints, then the text needs to be part of the image data. As a practical matter, this means that you must add it before you upload the image.

I know that it's easy to do this in Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Lightroom, and even in the excellent free program Picasa. You can do it "by hand" in any paint program. The degree of control that you have varies from program to program. I wasn't very happy with the watermarking done by Lightroom 2, but Lightroom 3 (now in public beta and probably scheduled for release in early 2010) has much better support for this feature, allowing you to control the size of the text, the font, and the placement on the photo. I don't use it for a copyright notice, just a credit.

For what it's worth, I do NOT include this watermark on photos for paying clients. I do have the back of the photo printed with my copyright. Watermarking the front used to be common practice for pro studios; but these days it seems to be rather uncommon and my clients mostly seem to be happier getting photos that are "clean" on the front.

Attaching an example.

Will

 Laura,

My question is somewhat related.  I've just noticed that someone else has adopted the name of my company on Zenfolio.  In fact on both sites, it came be seen that the copyright is owned by companies of the same name but we are two different organizations.  Their site shows membership since 2/09.  I've been a member since 10/08.  Is there anything in place at Zenfolio to recognize and resolve such issues?

This is something that you will need to resolve directly with the other party. There is no policy violation here so we are unable to be directly involved.

I hope you are able to work something out with them.

Lee,

There's nothing wrong with two companies having the same name, even in the same field of endeavor (like photography). It does get sticky when the companies are trying to operate in the same PLACE. There are two pizza parlors in the east Dallas area named "Sali's" and I ordered pizza once from the wrong place because I didn't realize the difference.

I would suggest that you consider registering your company name. You can incorporate in your state, for example. It's easy to do and doesn't cost a lot, and there are few burdens. You might incorporate as an LLC, for example. When you do this, you "dibs" the name legally. If you're in one state and the other company is in another state, you probably won't be able to ask them to stop using the name, but it probably doesn't matter anyway.

If you don't want to incorporate, you can still register your name as a "DBA" (doing business as) name. In Texas, you do this in the country registrar's office. It's cheap and easy and doesn't do a whole lot, although it does make it easier to get the company name on your bank account and a few other things.

Will 

 Thanks Laura and Will.  Your assistance has been very helpful.