Editions and prints decoded, numbers, artist’s proofs and signatures
What 12/50, AP, HC and BAT really mean, why a low number rarely matters, and how to tell an original print from a signed reproduction.
Look at the lower margin of an original print and you will often find a small cluster of pencil marks: a fraction on the left, perhaps a title in the middle, a signature on the right. Sometimes there are letters instead of numbers, such as AP, HC or BAT. These annotations are a short code, and once you can read it, you know far more about the sheet in front of you.
What the numbers mean
A print edition is a set of impressions pulled from the same matrix, the block, plate, stone or screen that carries the image. A marking such as 12/50 means this sheet is number 12 in an edition of 50. The second number is the edition size, and it tells you how many numbered impressions exist.
The first number matters far less than many buyers think. Prints are usually signed and numbered after the whole edition has been printed, often in no particular order, so 1/50 may well have come off the press last. In earlier centuries order could matter, because copper plates wore down with use and early impressions of an etching or engraving were often crisper. With modern materials and methods, the sheets of an edition are usually indistinguishable.
The edition size is the more useful figure. A small edition means fewer impressions in circulation. Remember too that the numbered edition is rarely the whole print run, because proofs are made in addition to it.
Once an edition is complete, many printers and artists cancel the matrix, for example by scoring lines across a plate, so that no further impressions can be made. An impression taken from the defaced plate as a record is called a cancellation proof. Catalogues of prints also record states, versions of an image in which the artist changed the matrix between printings.
Proofs and other annotations
Proofs are impressions made outside the numbered edition. They are legitimate, but they should be clearly labelled and limited in number. Artist’s proofs are often said to amount to around a tenth of the edition, though practice varies between artists, publishers and periods. When proofs are numerous, the true number of impressions can be much larger than the fraction suggests, so it is fair to ask for the total.
Artist’s proofs are sometimes numbered among themselves, for example AP 3/10. impressions were traditionally not intended for sale, although they do appear on the market. The is usually a single sheet, the reference against which the printer checks every impression of the edition.
Signed in pencil or signed in the plate
A signature in pencil in the margin is the classic sign that the artist saw and approved that individual sheet. A signature “in the plate” is different. The artist drew or wrote the name onto the matrix itself, so it prints on every impression as part of the image. It tells you who made the design, but not that the artist ever handled your sheet.
Some prints carry both. Others, especially those published after an artist’s death, carry an estate stamp or a signature added by someone else, which should be described as such. Read descriptions carefully: “hand signed”, “signed in the plate” and “with stamped signature” are three very different things. Look also for a blindstamp, a small embossed mark without ink that some print workshops and publishers press into the paper to show where the sheet was printed.
Original prints, reproductions and open editions
An original print is conceived as a print. The artist, often working with a specialist printer, creates the matrix specifically to make the image, so each impression is an original work in its own right. A reproduction is a photographic copy of a work that already exists in another medium, such as a painting. A poster of a famous painting is a reproduction, however beautifully printed.
An has no fixed limit and can be reprinted for as long as there is demand. Limited editions are capped, and the numbering tells you the cap. Be careful with signed and numbered reproductions: a signature and a fraction do not turn a photographic copy into an original print.
A signature and a fraction do not turn a photographic copy into an original print.
Digital prints add another layer. , a word derived from the French verb gicler, to spray, refers to high quality inkjet printing, often with pigment inks. It can be used for reproductions of paintings, or for works an artist created digitally to exist as prints, including many photographs. The technique alone does not tell you which; the description should.
Certificates, records and how to check
Many publishers and galleries issue a certificate with each print, listing title, year, technique, paper, sheet size, edition size and the number of proofs. Keep it with your invoice. For major printmakers, a catalogue raisonné of prints records editions, states and proofs in detail, and is the best place to check whether the marks on your sheet make sense.
If you are unsure what a combination of letters and numbers means, the Edition Decoder tool translates common markings into plain language. It cannot authenticate a print, but it helps you ask the right questions. arisano gives no financial or investment advice, and none of these markings is a promise of future value.
Terms in this article
- Artist’s proof
- An impression outside the numbered edition, reserved for the artist and marked AP or E.A.
- Hors commerce
- French for “not for trade”: impressions marked HC, traditionally made for exhibition, archive or gifts rather than sale.
- Bon à tirer
- French for “good to print”: the approved proof against which every sheet of the edition is checked.
- Open edition
- A print run with no fixed limit, which can be reprinted for as long as there is demand.
- Giclée
- A term for high quality inkjet printing, derived from the French verb gicler, to spray.
Readers ask
Is an artist’s proof worth more than a numbered print?
Not automatically. An artist’s proof usually looks identical to the numbered impressions. Some buyers like proofs because there are fewer of them and they were kept by the artist, while others prefer numbered sheets. arisano gives no financial or investment advice; judge a print by its quality, condition and documentation rather than by its label.
What is the difference between a giclée and a poster?
Both can be reproductions, but a giclée is usually printed with an inkjet process on fine paper or canvas, often with pigment inks intended to last, while posters are typically printed in large runs on lighter paper. A giclée can also be an original digital work. Always ask whether the image was created to be a print or copied from another work.
Should every print come with a certificate?
Not necessarily. Many older prints never had certificates, and their documentation lies in the marks on the sheet, the catalogue raisonné and the seller’s invoice. For contemporary editions a certificate is common and useful. Whatever you receive, keep it together with a detailed invoice that states the technique, edition size and type of signature.
