Print Terminology

Below is a description of commonly used print terminology to give you a better understanding
However, if you have any questions, please do contact us, we are here to help

Open Edition:
An edition issued without limit, individual number, or artists signature. Some, however, have been signed by one or more pilot or crew who flew the type of aircraft depicted in the painting.

Artist Signed Print:
Originally issued as an Open edition, a publicly stated quantity of which were later inscribed with artist's signature, and the printing plates destroyed. Again, some carry pilots signatures.

Limited Edition Print: (Signed and Numbered)
An edition of identical prints, numbered sequentially and individually signed by the artist, having a stated limit to the quantity in the edition. Following publication the printing plates are destroyed. Almost all Limited Editions are authenticated with a Certificate of Authenticity and original signatures of distinguished aviators!

Artists Proof:
An old tradition of reserving a quantity of prints for the artist's use, usually equal to about 10 % of the edition. In the early days of printing, these prints were the only remuneration the poor artist received. Proofs are signed by the artist and numbered showing the quantity of Artist's Proofs issued in the edition. Because of their highly restricted number, Artist's Proofs are sold at a higher value than the regular prints in the edition.

Publishers Proof:
A quantity of prints, not always announced or issued at the time of publication, usually equal to no more than 10% of the edition. These are reserved for the publisher's use, mostly for donation to Museums, Service establishments, Service Associations, and the like. Quantities of Publishers Proofs, sometimes issued with a supplementary print, may be made available to collectors either at the time of publication, or at a later date, depending upon availability.

Remarqued print:
A print issued with an original pencil drawing by the artist in the margin, each numbered out of the quantity of individually remarqued prints in the edition. The quantity of remarqued prints in any one edition generally is between 25 and 50. Each remarque drawing made by the artist is slightly different, thus making each print totally unique. Remarqued prints may be available at the time of publication, or announced at a later date, depending upon the artist's work load at the time. An artist remarqued print is the ultimate collector item in terms of reproduced work.

Giclee Canvas:
Giclee printing, pronounced gee - clay, is a relatively new digital technique whereby a sophisticated printer sprays on small dots of ink, row by row in a single pass.

Both lithograph and Giclee can produce excellent results that meet the exacting standards of the Fine Art Trade Guild in terms of colour accuracy and permanence. However for the artist and publisher there are some economic differences. The cost of Giclee paper and inks is very much more than a lithograph and they take much longer to produce (a single large image can take up to an hour to print). The original set up costs though are much lower, the advantage of this is that small edition sizes can be viable. This may prove to be a bonus for both artists and collectors as it means prints of very specialised subjects that would not normally be commercially viable can now be reproduced.
Giclee prints can be identified by the fact they have a slightly less shiny surface, also it is usual practice for the print title to be added in pencil by the artist as part of the more exclusive presentation.

Another advantage of the Giclee method is that it can be equally effective when using canvas as the printing medium, a good Giclee canvas can be difficult to distinguish from an original painting. A number of publishers are now including a small Giclee canvas edition with new print releases.

If you would like ANY INFORMATION on any artist featured within our site, please do not hesitate to e-mail us or call. If you let us know which particular aircraft, era or artist you are interested in, we can drop you a line when we have prints that match your criteria. We shall even e-mail the prints to you to view.

E-Mail: info@avcollect.com
Tel: 0121 7846377 (inside UK) - Int 0044 121 7846377 (outside UK)
Or 24hr
Tel: 07967 441782 - Int 0044 7967441 782
Fax: 07967 443156 - Int 0044 7967443 156

PRINT TERMINOLOGY

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