For Clients Give your clients limited legal permission to reproduce your work, in print and online.
For Photographers Protect your copyright, and restrict the use and integrity of your work.
Dual Signatures Ideally both you and your client sign the release, to fully protect ownership and usage rights.
A print release is a legal document that gives a designated party the right to print photographs, and is almost always restricted to non-commercial uses only. It is not legal to reproduce images without express consent. Many photo labs will require a signed release before printing professional images.
A print release is convenient for your client, as it lays out exactly what is permissible. You can outline included permissions, such as the printing of photographic prints, the ability to make holiday cards, as well as other personal uses.
Many print releases also extend reproduction rights to include rights to publish online, such as on social media, in particular.
It may also make sense to outline forbidden uses, such as unauthorized photo editing (like the removal of watermarks or logos).
A photo print release is generally a narrow set of rights, rights that do not include any transfer of your copyright. You can give your client the right to print images, but that does not give them ownership (as copyright is an entirely different thing).
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