Artist Proof
Usually the first “pulls” from an ORIGINAL plate (stone, copper, etc) so the artist can check the quality of the “sharpest” images. If these images are good and accepted by the artist, then they are seen as having more value than the later prints produced.

The artist numbers the images in sequence as they are made. The end of the edition is determined when the artist feels the quality has eroded to the point that the images are no longer acceptable. At this point, the original stone or plate is destroyed so that no more reproductions can be created. The amount that is printed is all that will ever be.

The Artist Proofs are those first pulls and are considered the most valuable.
(also see: Limited Edition)

Bleed
The printed area that extends past the trimmed area of an image. It isn’t possible to print all the way to the edge of the paper sheet so it’s necessary to print a larger area than required and then trim the paper down. Check with the printer you are working with to find out what their specifications are for bleeds.

Canvas Transfer
A photo, print or poster four-color image that is chemically lifted and mounted on canvas. Lower in cost and often printed on cheaper canvas.

CMYK
Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-blacK are the primary colors used by Printers. These printing inks are made up of dyes and pigments. Dyes and pigments do not produce as wide a range of colors as light so there is often an unwanted color shift and the colors will be more muted than they are on your monitor. (also see: RGB)

Color Separation
The separating of full color artwork or photographs into four halftone negatives (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) in preparation for commercial printing process. (also see: CMYK)

Distributor
Usually a company with established clients, who markets reproductions. The distributor hires and trains sales representatives to sell the reproductions, and handles shipping, invoicing, collections, storage of some or all of the work, and pays the sales force out of their share. Many distributors represent the reproductions in their catalogs, on-line, at trade shows and at private exhibitions.

Enhanced
A print that is worked by hand (NOT NECESSARILY BY THE ARTIST) is called enhanced. In any documentation the artist or publisher must state the original print process, e.g. “serigraph or canvas transfer,” and must also state how many are enhanced (which could be the entire edition). Often a print manufacturer will leave out enhanced “by the artist” which generally means someone other than the Artist added paint or enhanced each print. (also see: Remarque)

Giclée (jhee-clay)
Giclée is derived from the french verb gicler meaning to spray or squirt. The term giclée typically implies an elevation in printmaking technology. Images from high-resolution digital scans are printed with archival quality inks onto various media like fine art canvas or watercolor paper. The process involves a fine spray, five times smaller than a human hair and millions of droplets per second, which is sprayed onto archival art paper or canvas. All giclées are also clear coated with a UV retardant.

Tests done on giclée printing using fine art inksets are archival for 60-75 years with minimal exposure to UV on a canvas substrate and slightly less on an acid free paper. The tests are based on low grade UV exposure (high exposure will fade anything, even paint). All this of course, depends upon the grade of gesso used on the canvas ( screen prints also have about this same longevity).

Note about Prints from Your Desktop Printer
Inks in color copiers are for the most part, extremely unstable vegetable dyes. Not only are they NOT lightfast but, as the pigment ages, it changes color (especially reds, which have a tendency to turn orange, and purples which fade to grays). Photo printers use better grades of dyes which is why the cartridges are more expensive, however, it is questionable how long a photo print will last.

Gravure (also referred to as Rotogravure)
A not very common intaglio printing process where the image area is etched below the surface of a plate, the etched area is filled with ink and the plate is rotated on a cylinder that transfers the image to paper or other material. Gravure is most often used for either very high volume or long run printing of packaging, newspaper and giftwrap.

Intaglio
A printing process where the image is engraved below the surface of the printing plate. The engraving is filled with ink and the excess ink is wiped from the plates. Heavy pressure is applied to transfer the ink from the plate to the paper which leaves the surface slightly raised and the back side slightly indented. US paper currency is an example of the intaglio process. (also see: Gravure)

Limited Edition
Technically speaking almost anything that is restricted to a limited number of reproductions can be considered a limited edition.

The tradition of the limited edition began back when the sole method of reproduction meant etching or carving images on a hard rigid surface such as stone, copper plates or wood. Only a limited number of good images could be transferred to paper before the original etching or carving would start to show wear and eventually no longer transfer a nice crisp defined image.

The end of the edition was determined when the artist felt the quality was worn to the point that the images were no longer acceptable. At this point, the original stone or plate was destroyed so that no more reproductions could be created. The amount that was printed was all that would ever be. (also see: Artist Proof)

Lithography
Prints made from an image that has been applied to a flat surface, usually aluminum plates or stone. Lithography uses leather and rubber rollers. The plate is placed on a lithography press. Paper is then placed on the print and is run through the press by hand. One color at a time is printed. (also see: Offset Lithography and Stone Lithography)

Monoprints
A form of printmaking where the artist paints, rubs or wipes the design directly onto the plate (or matrix) using slow drying paint or ink. The image is printed by press or by hand results in only one strong impression. Subsequent impressions are never identical, therefore monoprints cannot be editioned.

Monotypes
Monotyping involves etching or carving onto the plate or matrix, which allows for the repetition of the image. Museum curator standards are that if no more than nine prints are pulled, it’s considered original.

Offset Lithography (also called Offset Printing)
Printing system where the paper does not come into contact with the printing plate. The ink is transferred from the plate to a blanket cylinder and then to the paper. The term offset refers to the fact that the image isn’t printed directly to the paper from the plates, but is offset or transferred to another surface that then makes contact with the paper.

Offset printing is the technique used in industry for printing books, magazines, posters etc. It needs complicated machinery and equipment and is only used by artists to do large amounts of reproductions of their work. They usually involve none or very little collaboration between the printer and the artist and are often printed with inferior inks on inferior paper and will not have much of an investment value. (also see: Lithography and Stone Lithography)

Proof
A test print produced to show how the finished product will look. The simplest form is a “color laser” or “inkjet print”, which can create a ROUGH impression. Keep in mind that a laser print cannot be relied upon as an accurate COLOR proofing method.

Publisher
A company or individual who contracts with an artist to reproduce their art in printed forms. The publisher ensures that the artist is compensated, usually in the form of royalties, for each reproduction sold. The publisher arranges for and finances most or all of the printing of the reproductions, promotional literature and advertising to announce the release of the work. The publisher arranges to have the work distributed.

Relief Printing
In relief printing the non-image (unprinted) area is cut away. Examples of relief printing would be woodblock or linocut.

Remarque
A print that is worked on hand BY THE ARTIST, is called a remarque. A remarque may also mean the artist has drawn something on the border or back of the print, often in the pencil used to sign and number the reproduction. (also see: Enhanced)

RGB
RGB is short for Red, Green and Blue, the primary colors of light and is used on a computer or television display. Your computer automatically converts documents to CMKY when it prints to your inkjet or laser printer, but your colors will be less vibrant than you see on your computer screen. Using RGB creates problems when sending a job to a commercial printer. (also see: CMYK)

Serigraph
Serigraphy is a combination of two Greek words, seicos, meaning silk, and graphos, meaning writing, therefore: “silk writing”. Serigraph is another term for Silk Screening or Screen Printing.

Silkscreen or Screen Printing
A process where the ink is transferred onto a surface by being squeezed through a fine fabric sheet stretched on a frame. A negative design (stencil) is created on the screen, the blank areas are coated with a non-porous substance, and ink is forced through the mesh with a roller or squeegee. Multicolored prints can be produced through silk screening with the use of different screens.

The process can be manual or mechanical but is most suitable for short runs and is usually used for large poster work and display material. Screen Printing works best for difficult or unusual surfaces such as clothing or plastic objects. First created using silk, now screens are made from artificial fibers such as nylon or polyester.

Stone Lithography
Prints made from an image that has been applied to a flat stone. Using a greasy substance, an image is drawn or painted onto the stone. The stone picks up this greasy substance and holds it. The stone is moistened with water. The parts of the stone not protected by the greasy paint soak up the water. Oil-based ink is rolled onto the stone and the greasy parts of the stone pick up the ink, while the wet parts do not. A piece of paper is pressed onto the stone, and the ink transfers from the stone to the paper. The application of each color is printed separately through a careful alignment process called registration. (also see: Lithography and Offset Lithography)