What does the term limited edition signed and numbered print mean?  Most people think that it has several meanings, including the following:

1. There are two kinds of prints – open edition and limited edition.
2. A limited edition is more valuable than an open edition.
3. A print is not an original.
4. There is a fraction such as 1 / 200 written at the bottom of the item.  The top number represents the one you are looking at and the bottom number tells you the total number made.

Of the statements listed above, number two and four are accurate.  Number one and three are not.  Limited edition is a general term and can be applied to anything where the number of items made is limited, including cars, books, clothes, watches, and of course art.

 When it comes to art, there are two kinds of limited edition prints: reproductions and hand pulled graphics.  The most common method of making reproductions is to photograph an original work of art, then make copies of the photograph through a mechanical process.  A copy of the original can also be made by shooting transparencies (usually 4”x5”), making slides, or scanning the original.  The most widely used method of making these “photographic” copies is called photographic offset lithography.  Many of the machines used to make these copies can turn out 7000 copies per hour.  Pictures in most books and magazines are made the exact same way.  Once the copies are made, the artist will sign and number a certain number.  The result is a limited edition which most people call prints, but in reality are reproductions.

A newer method of making photographic copies (reproductions) is called giclee (pronounced zee clay).  Giclees are made by using inkjet printers.

Many of these reproductions are sold for hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars.  However, a photographic copy of art is not real art and therefore not of any real artistic value and usually of only very limited investment value.  Many people are nevertheless buying very expensive framing and matting for reproductions, such as silk or suede mats and 24-karat gold frames. 

 Hand pulled graphics are the other kind of limited edition print.  They are also called original prints, impressions, and multiples.  Any work produced this way is an original work of art.   There are four traditional techniques used to make original prints: 

1. Block print (which can be done several ways, including wood cut and linoleum cut),
2. Lithograph (which can be done on stone or metal plates),
3. Etching (which is done by cutting into a metal surface), and
4. Stencil print (which is also called silkscreen or serigraph).

When an artist employs any of these methods, each print is an original work of art.  Hand pulled prints are almost always signed and numbered pieces.  They can be exhibited in all museums and they are excellent investments.

How can you tell whether you are looking at a reproduction or a hand pulled print?  It takes a little time to be able to tell the difference, but you can learn.  Just as you learned to tell the difference between mink and mink-like coats, alligator and alligator-like shoes and bags, or leather and what is jokingly called pleather, you can learn to distinguish real art from a reproduction.  Until you learn, you will have to ask the artist or an art dealer.  They will usually tell you.

We at Huff Art Studio are providing this information to help collectors make more informed decisions.  For more information, please feel free to contact us.