The printmaking artist: selling original prints in the age of reproduction

01Original print versus reproduction: a vital distinction

An original print is a work created directly by the artist on a matrix, whether a copper plate for intaglio, a limestone for lithography, a woodblock for woodcut or a silk screen for serigraphy. The artist conceives the image, prepares the matrix, inks and prints each proof, or directly supervises the printing. Each print carries subtle variations that make it unique, even within an edition. A reproduction, by contrast, is a mechanical or digital copy of an existing work. The difference is ontological: the original print is the work, the reproduction is an image of the work.

The Comite national de la gravure in France and equivalent bodies in other countries have defined precise criteria. The artist must have conceived and executed the matrix. The edition must be limited and numbered. Each proof must be hand-signed by the artist. The matrix must be destroyed, scored or cancelled after printing to guarantee the edition's finitude. These criteria are not arbitrary conventions: they are the guardians of the print's value.

Rembrandt van Rijn is arguably the greatest printmaker in the history of Western art. His etchings, printed in editions of a few dozen each, trade today at prices rivalling certain paintings. His Hundred Guilder Print, etched around 1649, has reached prices exceeding several million dollars at auction. The original print has never been a poor art.

02The contemporary print market

The contemporary print market is more alive than commonly believed. Artists such as Kiki Smith, William Kentridge, Julie Mehretu, Christiane Baumgartner and Peter Doig produce prints that sell rapidly at prices ranging from a few thousand to several tens of thousands of euros. Print workshops such as Pace Prints in New York, Paragon Press in London and IDEM Paris welcome major artists and produce editions that sell before they are even finished.

For the independent printmaker, this market offers a frame of reference. Specialist fairs such as the Salon International de l'Estampe in Paris, IFPDA Print Fair in New York and Multiplied Art Fair in London are venues where the clientele comes specifically to buy prints. These events attract educated collectors who know the difference between an original print and a reproduction and who are prepared to pay accordingly.

Museum print rooms constitute an institutional network you should not neglect. The Cabinet des Estampes of the Bibliotheque nationale de France, the prints department of the British Museum, the Print Room of the Metropolitan Museum: these institutions regularly acquire prints by contemporary artists. Being acquired by a print room is a powerful market signal that strengthens your standing.

03Educating your buyer without being condescending

Pedagogy is at the heart of your commercial approach. The buyer unfamiliar with printmaking needs to understand the process to appreciate the value of the object they are purchasing. Invite them into your studio if possible. Show them the matrix, the inking process, the press pressure, the moment the sheet reveals the image. This spectacle is fascinating and radically transforms the perception of the print.

If a studio visit is not possible, process video is a formidable tool. Filming a few minutes of your work at the press and sharing them online allows your audience to understand the manual, physical and technical dimension of printmaking. Printmaker Christiane Baumgartner, who works in large-format woodcut, regularly shares images of her working process, and the spectacular dimension of her matrices and printing is a selling argument in itself.

04Numbering and edition size: strategic choices

The choice of edition size is a commercial decision as much as an artistic one. An edition of ten creates scarcity and allows maintaining a high price per proof. An edition of fifty broadens your collector base but pulls the unit price down. There is no absolute rule, but there is a logic: the edition size should be consistent with your positioning. If you position yourself as an artist whose every print is a precious object, an edition of fifteen to twenty-five is a sound balance.

Do not forget artist's proofs. Traditionally limited to ten per cent of the edition, they allow you to retain stock for exhibitions, museum donations and exchanges with other artists. They are also the most sought-after by knowledgeable collectors, who know that the artist's proof is often the most carefully printed in the edition.

Japanese artist Hokusai printed The Great Wave off Kanagawa in approximately five thousand impressions in the nineteenth century, and the best-preserved proofs today sell for several hundred thousand dollars. Scarcity is not the only value factor: the image's iconic status and printing quality matter at least as much. But a controlled edition gives each proof a collectable identity that unlimited printing cannot offer.

05Setting your prices in the print world

The print price grid works differently from that of painting. The unit price is lower, but total revenue per matrix can be equivalent or superior if the edition size is appropriate. An original print sold at five hundred euros in an edition of twenty-five represents gross revenue of twelve thousand five hundred euros, which may exceed the price of a unique painting of equivalent format.

Your prices should reflect the technique used. Copper intaglio, which demands exceptional skill and costly equipment, generally positions above linocut in terms of price. Stone lithography, a demanding technique requiring access to a specific press, sits in the upper range. Serigraphy, depending on the number of colours and printing complexity, offers a wide price range. These hierarchies are not absolute rules, but they reflect market perception.

06The print as a gateway into a collection

The print has a commercial advantage that the unique painting does not: it is accessible. A beginning collector hesitating to invest a thousand euros in a painting can more easily invest three hundred euros in a print by the same artist. This first acquisition creates a bond. If the buyer is satisfied, if they live with the work and develop an attachment, they will return for a second print, then for a unique painting or drawing.

South African artist William Kentridge built his collector base partly through his prints, which have become collectibles in their own right. Collectors who purchased his early prints at accessible prices now hold works whose value has multiplied tenfold or twentyfold.

Artedusa lets you present your prints with the dignity and visibility they deserve. A well-written work listing that explains the technique, edition size and process makes all the difference between a sale and a visitor who moves on. Discover artedusa.com.