What is an 'Original Print'?

Occasionally, I am asked if I sell ‘originals’ as well as ‘prints’, and it’s a fair question, if you are just discovering the varied world of printmaking, you would be forgiven for thinking that a ‘print’ is merely a reproduction of an original work. Many artists working in other 2D media, such as drawing or painting, sell high-quality digitally scanned and printed copies of the original piece, these are called giclée prints and are a good way for artists to continue to generate income from a piece that may have been sold years ago. It also allows them to reach another audience who may not be able to afford a large oil painting, for example, but can still enjoy a reproduction of the work on their wall. To add to the confusion, an artist’s giclée print will almost always be signed and numbered by the artist and advertised as limited edition, sharing common features of an original print and making it difficult for buyers to distinguish between the two.

So, what exactly is an ‘original print’

Put simply, an original print is the original work, physically printed by the artist or sometimes in collaboration with a professional printmaker.

Original prints are created using traditional printmaking processes such as woodcut, linocut, etching, wood engraving, drypoint, lithography, collagraph or screenprinting. 

In most of these printmaking techniques, the artist creates a ‘matrix’ that holds the information for the image in the form of a block, plate or stone, through methods such as carving or etching. Ink is then applied to the matrix, either onto the raised areas (Relief) or pushed into the recesses (Intaglio), and a sheet of paper is placed over the block or plate and then either passed through a mechanical press or pressed by hand using a tool called a baren to create an impression. Multiple blocks are often printed in succession to ‘build’ the image, which is usually the case when creating multicoloured prints.

How can I tell the difference?

An original print will often inherently show the unique qualities of the print technique that was used, for example, you may see areas of printed woodgrain from a woodcut or the patterns of reticulation unique to a lithograph.

Looking out for the ‘plate mark’ –  an indentation in the paper around the edge of the image left from the pressure applied in the press – can also help to identify if the work is an original print.

The ink is another telling factor; a giclee print under magnification will appear as tiny regular dots, whereas the ink on an original print won’t have these dots but may show irregularities, such as roller marks and wipe marks, from the manual inking process. It may also appear more textured as the ink is slightly raised from the paper.

Edition numbers are often lower on an original print than digital reproductions. This is because of several factors – for example some printmaking techniques, such as collograph and drypoint, can only survive a few runs through the press before the matrix begins to deteriorate and lose detail, so the edition number will typically be low. Studio space is also a determining factor of edition size, as editions of coloured prints requiring multiple blocks are often printed all at once to achieve consistency, and they require space to dry and space to store once dry.

Are original prints a better investment than reproductions?

Unlike a giclée reproduction, which can be printed quickly and inexpensively, the creation of an original print from start to finish will go through many different processes at the hand of the artist. It can often take hours, or even days, to prepare the matrix or matrices, and the print will go through numerous proofing stages before it is ready to be printed as an edition. Essentially, an original print has been produced by the artist to be an artwork in its own right, a digital reproduction, on the other hand, may look quite different from the original work, and will often be printed at a different size, changing the original vision of the artist.

I’m not an expert in collecting art, but, if you can, investing in an original piece that you love is always worthwhile. Original prints are often more affordable than other types of original artwork, such as paintings, making them an excellent starting point for new collectors.

Lino blocks and Chisels

Lino print and Albion Press