How To Get Started in Printmaking: What Is a Limited Edition Print?

Hello and thank you for joining me.

A limited edition print is a controlled number of original prints released through a publisher, in most cases this is the artist, created through one of the many printmaking techniques.

Limited edition prints allow for an artwork to be reproduced and sold at a lower price than other art forms, such as paintings, reaching a broader client base.

Prints were been created long before the printing press was invented. Printmaking was not viewed as an art form; it was seen as a way of communication. It was only in the 18th century when the print began to be viewed as an original artwork. In the 19th century it became practice for artists to produce limited edition prints of their work and singing the prints so that the work could be authenticated.

There are printmaking artists who only produce limited edition prints but it is common practice for painters and sculptors to produce prints of intended art pieces. Artists commonly use the discipline of printmaking to work through their ideas to create preliminary studies to resolve any issues for their major pieces. Then a limited edition can be created for additional income.

The following terms are given to different states of proofing prior to the edition,
Artist Proof (AP) Artist Proofs are of equal quality to the edition and AC precedes the number. Example - AP 1/10. A print numbered like this means it's an Artist Proof and it's number 1 of 10 produced.
Bon a tier (BAT) French for Good To Print. This is the print used as a guide by the printer for an edition. All prints are compared to it for excellence.
Trial Proof (TP) Test impression pulled from a printmaking plate or block to check the latest state of the image. TP precedes the number and are all unique.
Colour Trial Proofs (CTP) Are the equivalent to Trial Proofs but are not published in editions. CTP precedes the number.
Exhibition Proof (EP) they are of the same quality as the edition and are produced specifically for special exhibitions. EP precedes the number.
Hors Commerce (HC) "Not for Sale" proofs are of a quality equal to the edition but are gifted to collaborators. HC precedes the number.
Printer's Proofs (PP) Impressions from the printing plate assigned to the printer; not counted in the edition. PP precedes the number.

Dean Bowen, one of Australia's most engaging printmakers, sculptor and painter, is an artist who is well respected across all mediums and is well known and respected in the printmaking community for his lithographs and intaglio works from the 1980's and 90's. This is well proven in the recent publication Dean Bowen: Argy-Bargy by Sheridan Palmer.

Warmly

Jo Lankester

The Art of Dean Bowen