The Edition
The concept of "edition" is basic to the world of serial art. It is the "limited edition" which permits printmakers and collectors to agree upon what is an original art print and what is a mere reproduction.

Multiple Originals
A 1960 resolution of the International Congress of Plastic Arts states: The above principles apply to graphic works which can be considered originals, that is to say, prints for which the artist made the original plate, cut the woodblock, worked on the stone or any other material. Works that do not fulfill these conditions must be considered "reproductions."

Carol Pulin, director of the American Print Alliance adds, "Whether a print is part of an edition (a limited edition or unlimited edition) has nothing to do with whether it is an original print or a reproduction. A copy of a work of art done in another medium is a reproduction, no matter how limited the number of reproductions made and no matter whether the copy is made by photomechanical or other means."

To that we would add: Twenty-first century printmakers - with scanners, photocopiers, fax machines, digital printing, Giclee prints, etc. - are bringing the very concept of "original" under such severe stress that one is prompted to ask whether or not "originality" per se is an essential element in the serial-art process.

Here at World Printmakers we feel that the essential element is the documentation that accompanies a work of serial art. We think that documentation should be "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth" as to the techniques and editions of the work in question. Is an American collector entitled to pay money for a photomechanical reproduction of a Dalí painting printed on one of the alleged 350,000 sheets of blank paper signed by the artist during his lifetime? Yes, he is, but he is entitled to a clear and complete idea of exactly what he's buying!

Etching by Jane Danko

Etching by Jane Danko

The Limits
The first "limited editions" were determined by the technical considerations imposed by intaglio printing processes, and those factors have not changed even today. Copper or zinc engraving or etching plates are worn down a tiny bit each time the plate goes through the etching press and the edition is therefore limited to the number of perfect prints which can be taken before the plate deteriorates.

Besides these technical questions, the limited edition has important commercial significance. Collectors need to be assured that the work they buy is guaranteed by the exclusivity and originality which only a limited edition can provide. Normally, the smaller the edition, the more valuable the print.

Most art professionals agree that the most cogent way of guaranteeing the authenticity and originality of a print is by giving the buyer ample and honest information about its creation, the number of prints in circulation, etc. In the Western world since the 17th/18th centuries most fine-art prints have offered this information on their margens, and there is today an internationally-accepted code for numbering editions.