prints as graphic ‘reflections’ of it so if there is to be any exclusivity it would be preferable to simply store the plate in a secure place rather than permanently scar it. I do not score my plates. Consider the following paragraph: Limited Edition. The practice of limiting the number of impressions of a print in order to create an artificial rarity for the benefit of the collector. Often the impressions are signed and numbered by the artist; a number such as 6/20 indicates that the impression was the sixth in an edition of twenty impressions. In the early days of printmaking editions were not limited: so long as demand continued the plate was used until it wore out. The limited edition is a relatively recent development, dating only from the last quarter of the nineteenth century. When the edition is complete the plate or block is often destroyed or defaced. The scratching of lines across a plate to indicate the end of its use is known as cancelling.* *Page 6. Paul Goldman. Looking at Prints. A GUIDE TO TECHNICAL TERM. 1981. The Trustees of the British Museum.
Artist Proof (A/P) A/P refers to the practice that before a printmaker actually does an edition he or she may do a few prints to see what it is like and perhaps make a few ongoing changes. When an individual print is made and is kept by the printmaker he or she will usually scribe A/P under the etching to say it is a ‘one-off’ rather than be part of an edition. An official edition deliberately restricts the number of available prints. The number of artist proof prints is the prerogative of the artist. Yet usually there is much less number of artist proof prints than there is in any final edition. States Each time the plate is changed by way of adding or deleting features to its image it is called a new state. A plate may go through many a few states before the printmaker is satisfied the plate is ready for an edition in its final state. Although some printmakers may also make an edition of each state before working further on the plate. (In fact, a plate may never ‘arrive’ at a final state).