Limited edition print, artist proof, remarquee, what’s the difference?
There is quite a difference between limited edition prints, artist proofs and remarquees and there are many people who have asked us what those differences are. In this post I will not only explain what each of these printmaking terms are but I’ll touch on a few others as well.
Let’s start with what a print is in general. A print is an original image that has been reproduced one or more times. Reproduction can be done in multiple ways such as silk screening, lithography, etching etc. There are also different quality levels for prints. A wall poster is done on cheaper paper and usually in very large quantities. There are fine art posters as well, which are done on a higher quality of paper but still in a large volume and finally there are fine art prints which are done on very high quality paper and there is a much higher attention to detail such as true colour production.
Fine art prints are also done in a limited edition run and are normally numbered, signed and sometimes titled and dated by the artist at the bottom of the print.
It is from these fine art prints that we get limited edition, artist proof and remarquees. The limited edition print is a fine art print that, as mentioned earlier, is numbered, signed, titled and overseen by the artist with particular attention to detail in order to produce a perfect reproduction.
An artist proof is a small set taken from the limited edition print run. They are the prints that the artist checks periodically throughout the print run to ensure that the quality of the reproduction is of a high quality (The artist ‘proofs’ the print). These artist proofs are numbered AP separately in a smaller set, usually about 10% of the main edition and generally have a 20% to 30% higher value than the edition they are from.
Going a step further, the remarquee is a print that the artist actually reproduces by hand a part of the picture in the bottom of the print, essentially giving the print an original piece of artwork by the artist himself, thus increasing the value another 20% to 30% over that of an artist proof.
There are other print types as well, such as the Publisher’s Proof, which is like the artist proof, but checked by the publisher as opposed to the artist, although they are still signed and numbered PP by the artist. Another print type is Hors Commerce, meaning not for sale. These are generally kept by the artist or printmaker but often eventually find their way onto the market. These are generally considered more valuable (like the artist proofs) and are numbered HC and signed by the artist.
Those are the main types of prints that are produced in a fine art limited edition run and hopefully you now have a better understanding on the differences between each of the types. Knowing this could definitely help in being a deciding factor on which print you want to purchase. If you’re looking for something relatively cheap to put up, a wall poster print might be for you, but if you are looking for actual art for sale or giving art as a gift, outside of the original, a fine art print is an excellent investment.
Todd Waite
Director at ArtFIND.ca
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