1. PRINTMAKING

2. Fine Art Printmaking Involves the creation of a master plate from which multiple images are made.

3. What is a plate? First, the artist chooses a surface to be the plate. This could be linoleum, styrofoam, metal, cardboard, stone or any one of a number of materials.

4. Next the artist prepares the printing plate by cutting, gluing, etching or drawing an image onto the plate.

5. How is a print made? Ink is applied and paper is pressed onto the plate either by hand or by way of a printing press.

6. The finished print is pulled from the plate. Thus, the artist has begun an edition of prints

7. A print edition The number of prints pulled from one plate is called an edition.

8. The artist’s proofs Often the first few prints are different from the rest of the edition. These first prints are called the artist’s proofs.

9. How is an edition made? The artist decides how many prints will be made from the plate. Once that number of prints are pulled, the plate is destroyed so that more prints won’t be printed later

10. Value of the edition Destroying the plate ensures the value of the edition. The individual prints within the edition can have different values depending on when it was printed and pulled.

11. Since the plate gradually “breaks down” with each print that is pulled, the prints toward the end of the edition are considered less valuable than the prints pulled at the beginning of the edition. Value of the prints

12. Print signature At the bottom of a print are two to three things always written in pencil. This is called the signature.

13. The number On the left, directly under the printed image is a number that appears as a fraction (6/25). This means that the print is number six of a total of twenty five prints pulled from one plate. This number excludes the artist’s proofs which are designated with an A/P/

14. The title In the center, directly under the printed image of the print is the title (if any).

15. The name and date At the bottom right, directly under the printed image, is the artist’s name and sometimes the date.

16. Example of print signature 1/4 “title” Name

17. Link to: Types of Printmaking