LIMITED EDITION PRINTS

Prints are made in editions – an edition is a group of prints made from the same printing plate. 

 

A limited edition print means the print run is predetermined by a fixed number of impressions on the understanding that no further impressions (copies) will be produced later.

 

Generally, the rarer the print the higher the price. If a print is part of a smaller edition, it will be more valuable, due to its exclusivity.

 

Limited edition prints are traditionally signed and numbered in pencil with the edition number on the bottom left, the title in the middle and signature on the right. For instance:- 33/150 –means it is the 33rd print in the group (edition) of 150 prints.

 

The first print is often the most valuable (eg. 1/150). 

 

Apart from numbering the prints, prints can also be marked with different letters, eg. T/P, A/P, and P/P. These prints are often more valuable than the numbered ones.

 

Trial Proof (T/P)

 

While creating a print, the artist may experiment with various ideas, compositions and colours. In order to see how different ideas look, an artist creates a test print that is called a trial proof (T/P). 

 

Given trial proofs are printed only once, every trial proof is one of a kind and in that sense original and highly sought after for their rarity.

 

Artist’s Proof (A/P)

 

While printing, plates tend to suffer wear and tear. During a print run the artist may pull a print from the edition to check the state of the printing. These are referred to as artist’s proofs. A/Ps are not returned to the edition but are kept by the artist for their own personal collections.

 

Since artists only pull a small fraction of the prints from the edition for checking (typically no more than 10%), these A/Ps are considered to be more exclusive (and more valuable) than regular prints.

 

Printer’s Proof (P/P)

 

Printer’s proofs are prints given to printers as gifts. They look exactly the same as any other print in the edition, except that they are labelled with P/P. The number of P/Ps depends on the number of printers involved in the printing process as every printer gets one proof. Since there’s usually just a few printers involved, printer proofs are typically even more exclusive than the artist’s proofs.