Pace Prints | Print Shop

Left: Jim Dine discusses a work in progress with master printer Bill Hall. Upper Right: Inks and rollers. Lower Right: Etching press

I. What is an original, limited-edition, fine art print?

An original limited-edition fine art print is a work of art conceived and developed by the artist for the purpose of making an edition. The artist creates an image on a matrix of suitable material for the process to be used (a lithographic stone for litho, a copper plate for etching, etc.). Traditionally, in collaboration with a master printer, proofs are created as the artwork develops until the artist is satisfied with the result. The artist approves the final proof (called a B.A.T.), and the edition can be printed in a quantity predetermined by the artist, using the B.A.T. proof as a standard. After printing, the edition is curated and signed, numbered, and dated.

Limited-edition fine art prints are not to be confused with reproductions of existing works that are reproduced photomechanically. Generally such prints are unsigned and not numbered, but they can appear to be signed if the signature of the artist was also reproduced photomechanically as part of the printing plate. Most posters and museum reproductions fall into this category of commercially mass-produced prints.

Original prints are most often discussed with reference to the printing technique that was used to produce them; for instance, you will find lithographs, etchings, aquatints, screenprints, and more in the Pace Prints gallery.