Limited edition print


Limited edition means the artist/studio has committed to only producing a limited number of prints. The artist determines the size of the edition, and all the prints are individually singed numbered and signed or sealed. 15/100 means this is the 15th number of print out of 100




Open print


Open edition means there is no limit to the numbers of prints, the publisher can produce and the same can also be reprinted on demand. Open edition prints are not usually numbered, but may be signed by the artist.




Fine art print


Fine art print would denote a higher category product, usually on heavier archival type paper, typically of a limited edition and usually produced with a better printing process like serigraphy, etching or stone lithography.




Difference between a print and a poster


Most reproduced images can be considered prints. Prints can be further broken down by limited edition prints. Posters are generally open edition prints, which are normally printed in huge numbers. The word poster has nothing to do with the quality of the printing, image and the paper.




Paper


Most of the publishers don’t specify the quality of paper. Film posters and promotional posters are printed on a normal paper which is lighter in terms of paper weight, whereas limited edition prints are printed on a heavier acid free paper. Fine arts prints are done on heavy archival paper, which has a longer life and ideas discoloration.




Collectors item-limited edition prints


By the nature of being limited in number, demand for certain limited edition prints can be greater then the large number of reproductions produced for the edition. Once an edition is sold out from the publisher, which means that the print is no longer available from the publisher but may still be available from the secondary market. This means that the print can be bought and soled by any gallery or individual, often above issue price, depending on supply or demand.




Expensive-limited edition prints


The premium price of limited edition is a function of the limited supply of each print and the exceptionally high quality of the prints. Typically, the more annually intensive the process is, the more each limited edition print will cost. The less number of edition and reputation of the artists are also an important factor for higher pricing.




A/P Prints


Some of the first prints pulled out from a limited edition of prints are marked as an ‘AP’ and used by the artist for experimenting colours. As a general rule, there are 10% to 20% more A/Ps than numbered edition which are shared by artists and the studio. Artists proofs generally draw a higher price than other impressions because of its restricted number.