A Service to Printmakers and Collectors
In keeping with World Printmakers' "Full Disclosure Now" campaign in 2001, we have seen fit to prepare this Certificate-of-Authenticity Model which printmakers can copy or adapt to their own needs, and where collectors can learn the kind of questions they should be asking in order to ascertain the authenticity of a given print.

The Certificate of Authenticity gives authentic fine-art, limited-edition printmakers the opportunity to distinguish their work from posters or reproductions which some dealers would like to pass off as "prints." By offering the extensive information of the Certificate printmakers can not only guarantee the authenticity of their work, but also educate their buyers as to just exactly what they are spending their money on. A proper Certificate of Authenticity is an additional value added to a fine-art print insofar as it explains to the client in detail the various factors which intervene in its production and edition. The more details the Certificate includes, the more value it contributes to the print.

The Details
Let's go over some of the concepts included here. The artist's name (or artists' names if the print is a joint effort) and title of the print are self explanatory. If the artist is selling the print directly from his studio, then he can include his own address and phone. Perhaps the client would like to come back later and buy more prints, or perhaps a friend of the client takes an interest. That contact information is essential and could even include an email address. If, on the other hand, the print is to be sold by an editor or a gallery, they will naturally have reservations about the artist establishing direct contact with the client.

At World Printmakers we think the paper is a fundamental factor in printmaking and should be fully explained on the Certificate (type, origin, weight, etc). There is a stellar array of fine papers available out there and if you're bringing a special paper from Japan, England, Tibet or Spain, or if you make your own paper, then your clients should be informed of that fact. They will appreciate it. By giving both the image size and the paper size, the client knows not only the size of the frame he will need, but whether or not the paper has been tampered with. The edition numbers are, of couse, essential. (For information on limited editions, click here.) Besides the edition itself, are there signed and numbered proofs? These should also be specified, and their number should never exceed 10% of the total edition.

The name of the print workshop and the master printer who printed the edition is a guarantee for the client, as well as a recognition of the master printer's contribution. The same goes for the publisher. The date of the edition and that of the signing of the prints (if they vary) are also essential. Long after the artist is dead (and famous!) they will permit art historians to establish an accurate chronology of his work.

Has the plate, the digital file or other matrix been cancelled or destroyed after the edition of the prints? This question is basic, as the elimination of the matrix renders fraud impossible. No new editions in another color, no new editions with Roman numerals, no other monkey business is possible if the plate no longer exists!

Additional Information
The "Additional information" category gives printmakers the opportunity to enunciate their own special conditions and contributions. Have you used a unique technique or combination of techniques in the execution of the print? Are there variations in the edition which should be commented: different papers, different colors? Is there a story behind this print? This is the place to tell it. Would you like to include biographical information or your CV or your artist's statement? Put it down here. Do you feel the need to explain to people once and for all the difference between a limtied-edition fine-art print and a copy, poster or reproduction? You can do it here, under "Additional iInformation." All of this information, and whatever else you might deem relevant to the print, will enhance your client's experience of your work.

One printmaker we know delivers a seven-page booklet with every print he sells. His clients consider his work something quite special, indeed!