Print release template for photographers.
Copy the text below, fill in the bracketed fields, and send it with the gallery. It grants the client personal print rights and keeps the copyright with you.
This is a template, not legal advice.
Plain text. Paste it into a document or an email.
PRINT RELEASE Photographer: [Photographer or studio name] Client: [Client name] Session: [Session type and date] Images covered: [All images delivered in the gallery at (gallery link) / the images listed below] 1. Permission to print The Photographer grants the Client permission to print and reproduce the images listed above for personal, non-commercial use. This includes prints, albums, cards, and digital copies shared with family and friends, and posting on personal social media accounts. 2. What stays with the Photographer The Photographer keeps the copyright to every image. This release does not transfer copyright and does not grant an exclusive license. The Photographer may use the images in a portfolio, on a website, in social media, in advertising, and in competition entries unless a separate agreement says otherwise. 3. What the Client may not do The Client may not sell the images, license them to anyone else, use them to promote a business or product, enter them in competitions, or submit them to publications without written permission from the Photographer. The Client may not edit the images beyond cropping, and may not remove the Photographer's watermark or credit from a watermarked file. 4. Quality of prints Prints made outside the Photographer's own print service may differ in color and sharpness from the delivered files. The Photographer is not responsible for the quality of prints made elsewhere. 5. Credit When the images are shared publicly, the Client agrees to credit [Photographer or studio name] where the platform allows it. 6. Term This release has no end date and applies only to the images listed above. Photographer signature: ______________________ Date: ____________ Client signature: ______________________ Date: ____________
What each section does.
Section 1 is the grant. It names the use the client is allowed: personal printing and sharing. Section 2 is the reservation. It states that copyright stays with you and that you may keep using the images for your own marketing. Together they are the whole point of the document.
Section 3 lists the uses that are not covered. Commercial use, resale, and heavy editing are the ones that cause disputes. Section 4 protects you when a drugstore print comes out green. Section 5 asks for credit, which is worth more to a working photographer than most people expect.
A print release covers the files after delivery. It does not cover how the files are delivered. If you sell prints yourself, the release only needs to cover the digital files the client downloads, and the gallery store handles the prints.
Print release questions.
Deliver the files and the release in one gallery.
Attach the release as a download, set which images can be downloaded, and sell prints from the same page.