Buying Prints and Editions: What to Check

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What an edition is and how it is described

Buying prints and editions involves checks that do not arise with a unique painting. The same image exists in multiple impressions, and a buyer needs to know exactly which impression is on offer, how many others exist and how this one differs from them.

An original print is made from a matrix, such as a plate, block, screen or stone, created for that purpose, usually under the artist's direction. A limited edition is a fixed number of impressions, typically numbered by hand as a fraction: the impression's own number above, the edition size below. The number on a sheet does not necessarily reflect the order in which impressions were printed, so a lower number is not in itself a mark of quality.

The distinction that matters most is between an original print and a reproduction. Photomechanical reproductions of paintings, including signed and numbered ones, are a different kind of object from a print conceived as a print, and they are priced and collected differently. Descriptions that avoid saying which is which deserve a direct question.

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Proofs: AP, PP, HC and the rest

Most editions include impressions outside the numbered run. These proofs are legitimate, but they affect how many impressions of an image exist in total, and a buyer should know the full breakdown.

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How proofs and signatures change what you are buying

The market treats proofs in varied ways. Trial and state proofs can be of particular interest because they show the work in development; standard artist's proofs are often priced much like numbered impressions. The key point is that the total number of impressions, proofs included, should be documented, and a publisher's records or the relevant catalogue raisonné usually record it.

A hand signature, usually in pencil in the margin, indicates that the artist approved that impression. A signature in the plate or matrix is printed as part of the image, appears on every impression and does not carry the same meaning. The two are sometimes described loosely in listings, and a buyer should confirm which applies.

Posthumous impressions are another category. Some editions are printed after an artist's death from the original matrix, sometimes authorised by the estate and marked with an estate stamp, sometimes not. Restrikes, later printings from an original plate outside the original edition, are generally valued well below lifetime impressions. The question to ask of any print is when it was printed, by whom, under whose authority and whether the signature was applied by hand.

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Publisher, workshop and the catalogue raisonné for prints

Many editions are produced by a publisher or print workshop, and their records are part of the work's documentation. Workshops often use a blindstamp or chop mark embossed in the margin, and many issue a documentation sheet recording the edition size, proofs, paper and printing details. These marks and records help confirm that an impression belongs to the edition it claims. For contemporary editions, the publisher's documentation is often the most reliable record, and it should pass to each new owner on resale.

For many established printmakers there is a catalogue raisonné of the printed work. These catalogues typically record each edition's medium, dimensions, paper, edition size, proofs and states. Checking an impression against the catalogue entry is one of the most effective steps a buyer can take: the sheet size, image size, paper and annotations should match. The Catalogue Raisonné Scholars Association is a useful starting point for finding out whether a catalogue exists and who is responsible for it.

Discrepancies deserve attention. A sheet smaller than the catalogue records may have been trimmed. An edition size that does not match may indicate a different edition, a reproduction or simply a misdescription that the seller should correct.

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Margins, trimming and condition

Condition questions for prints start with the sheet as a whole. Full margins are generally preferred, and a sheet that has been trimmed, sometimes to fit a frame, is usually worth less. For intaglio prints such as etchings and engravings, the plate mark, the impression left by the edge of the plate, is part of the evidence of how the sheet was printed and whether it has been cut down.

Paper condition then matters as it does for any work on paper. Toning, staining from old mounts, foxing, creases, tears and fading of light-sensitive inks can all affect value; some are minor and stable, others are not. Wherever possible, a print should be examined out of its frame, since framing can hide trimmed margins, staining, repairs and the way the sheet has been attached.

Preservation guidance from NEDCC explains how light and poor-quality housing materials affect paper, and it is worth reading before deciding where a newly acquired print will hang.

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Pricing an impression against the rest of the edition

Because many impressions exist, editions often have a relatively visible sales history, particularly at auction. That makes comparison easier, but only if like is compared with like. A numbered impression, a trial proof and a posthumous impression of the same image are different things, as are impressions in fine and poor condition.

Before agreeing a price, a buyer should look at recent results for the same edition, adjust for condition, margins, signature and proof status, and ask the seller how their price compares. For contemporary editions still being sold by a publisher or gallery, the current primary price is another reference point, and some publishers raise prices as an edition sells through. Well-known printmakers attract forgeries and misattributed reproductions, so the more familiar the image, the more the documentation matters.