Artists, just like any well-established practitioners of just about anything, use words that have meaning to them, but can be confusing to everyone else. Printmakers are no exception, and possibly more complicated than practitioners of other forms of visual art because there are so many different methods that are categorized with printmaking. Art prints for sale are often described using this artists' vocabulary, and the terms used to describe a piece have some bearing on its value. This blog post will define some of the most common and important terms a collector may see, and suggest why (or why not) that aspect of the print is important.
The different types of printmaking may seem like a good place to start. While terms like intaglio, drypoint, linocut, or serigraphy are important, the reality is that they all do the same thing... apply ink to a matrix to make a print. This blog is going to concentrate on the terms that describe the print, regardless of how it was made. The main categories of terminology we are going to talk about are:
- edition & labeling
- materials
- giclee
- exceptions and outliers
Editions & Labeling
One big difference between printmaking and painting or sculpture is that most printmaking is set up to be able to produce multiple copies of the same design; and each of those prints would be considered to be original: a piece of work created by the artist that is not a reproduction. An original painting or sculpture is a one of a kind piece of art. There is only one 'Mona Lisa' painting, and only one 'Statue of Liberty', but there are probably millions of reproductions of both.
Printmakers typically produce their works of art in an edition: a number of original prints produced from one plate or matrix, usually at the same time. There is no rule about how many prints can be in an edition, or how many editions of the same piece an artist can produce. Collectors value scarcity, so most printmakers will produce a limited edition: a number of prints that is the total number of original prints that will be printed, ever.
Prints in a limited edition will be labeled using a format that is roughly the same for everyone, though how the labels are applied and where on the print can vary. The edition label usually appears immediately under the print, though some artists may prefer a more discreet location on the print, or even on the back. The information in a limited edition label will include what looks like a fraction: 6/25 or 13/18. These numbers indicate the print number in the edition (first number) and the number of prints in the edition (second number). '6/25' indicates that the piece is print number 6 out of a total edition of 25.
The title of the piece may or may not be included in the label, and when it is included the title will be inside quotation or single quotation marks. The date of the printing may also be a part of the label, sometimes limited to month/year or even just the year. The artist may sign the print in the label using a signature, a printed name, or possibly a chop: a symbol used to indicate the artist. Chop symbols originated in Asia and have become very popular. A chop may appear beside the image of the print, or even within the image itself. Some artists will incorporate their chop into the print's design.
There may be a few prints produced outside of the edition that may make their way into circulation. These prints are called proofs: prints made from the same plate or matrix as the edition, but set aside and not included in the limited edition. A proof is usually different in some way from the limited edition, but still has value as a piece of art. An artist proof is a copy that is identical to the edition, but not part of the edition series. Artist proofs are usually associated with a commissioned piece when the entity paying for the production of the edition gives some copies of the print to the artist, usually as part of the artist's compensation. An artist proof can be very valuable for collectors, because when those prints are put up for sale they are coming from the actual artist and are more rare than the edition prints. An artist proof will be labeled 'A/P' in place of the edition numbers.
A trial proof is a print that is made during the process of printing that is different from the prints in the limited edition in some way, such as color, composition, or paper. When prints are designed, there are usually several test prints that are pulled and adjustments made to the matrix before the limited edition series is produced. Some of these trial proofs may make their way into circulation because they are unique and interesting pieces of art, and will be labeled 'T/P'. Trial proofs can be highly collectible, but typically have lower value than a limited edition print.
Materials
The inks and the paper used on are often part of the description of art prints. Some types of paper and ink are more long-lasting than others, though the actual brands have little relevance. The most important term to look for with regards to materials used is archival: museum-quality prints that use inks and paper that will last for a very long time. Archival papers will be acid-free. Inks will usually be oil-based with high-quality pigments that will not fade over time with exposure to ultra-violet light and fluctuating humidity. It is common to say 'archival', but less common to prove it. Some artists will list the brands of paper and inks that are used, but unless you are familiar with those brands the artist is not telling you much more than where you can start your research.
Original vs Giclée (ZHēˈklā)
An important term to know is handmade print: original art created by the artist who, by hand, prepares the plate from which the print is printed. The other is giclée: a high-quality photograph reproduction of an original piece of art. The fact that giclée prints are often produced in limited editions causes a lot of confusion with buyers, because these reproductions are also numbered, signed, and dated like limited edition prints.
A common misconception is that a 'handmade' is transferred from matrix to paper by hand. There are certainly many artists who print this way, but there are also many handmade prints that are printed by machine, using the plate created by the artist. Prints that are pulled: the process of producing a print from the matrix, by hand will usually show some minor differences between prints. Some artists try very hard to be minutely consistent in edition prints, while others may not. The individual imperfections of prints that are pulled by hand are considered to be part of the process and prized by many collectors.
Exceptions & Outliers
Most printmakers do not make giclée editions, because handmade print editions already have several copies in existence. Monotype prints: a singular print of which there are no other copies, is an exception. Like paintings and drawings, monotype prints exist as only one original piece, so producing an edition of giclée prints of the art is the only way to sell multiples of it.
Another exception is a monoprint: a one-of-a-kind print that is part of a series. Monoprints in a series will have some aspect of each print that is intentionally different than the other prints in the series. A series is different from an edition in that all of the prints in an edition are intended to look exactly alike. An example of a monoprint could be as simple as the artist using the same matrix to make a series in which every print is a different color. A common style of monoprint is created when artist pulls the print in one color (usually black) and then hand-colors each print individually with paint or ink.
Collage: the combination of different types of media and objects glued to a surface to create a unique piece of art, is an outlier form of art that some printmakers will do using parts of castoff prints and proofs that would otherwise be thrown away. A collage is a unique piece of art that may be composed of printed images, but a collage is not a print.
In Conclusion
Printmaking is one of the main forms of visual art along with drawing, painting, sculpture, and others. Just as there are many ways to draw, paint, and sculpt, there are many ways to make prints. Regardless of the process by which the print is produced, there is some basic terminology used across the spectrum. As a collector of print art, it is important to know what those terms mean and how they can affect the value of the print.