Black Art Buying Information

Prints, Posters, Lithographs, Oh My!

What's the difference? It's a common question, so let's take a look:

A lithograph is a print that has been produced using lithography. Traditionally, lithographs were created using "plates" made of stone; wax or similar material on the stone would repel the ink, so by making designs on the stone and then applying ink an image could be created by pressing the ink-bearing stone onto paper. Stone is seldom used today, as most commercial lithographs are created on large offset lithography presses.

A giclee print is created by a special printer that sprays ink onto the paper.

A poster is technically a print designed to be "posted" on a pole, wall, or other (usually) outdoor location to announce an event or point of view. Many people use the term poster for an image of a pop star, sports car, motorcycle, or other item of interest printed on fairly thin paper, often in the 24x36 inch size.

Finally, a print is any of the above - print is the large, general category that includes lithographs, giclees, engravings, even photographic prints.

All of the prints sold by most major Black Art publishers are lithographs. A few small independent boutique publishers may offer giclees, usually as limited editions.

Quality

Shoppers may judge a lithograph's quality by the thickness of the paper, but that's not the whole story. Paper thickness may give some indication of the price level of a print, but the type of paper and its suitability can also play a role. The thickness of the paper won't be apparent once the print is framed, but thicker paper makes the print easier to handle before framing.

Limited Edition vs. Open Edition

Limited edition prints are printed in a limited, known quantity and are not reprinted. The quantity produced may be very limited, such as 50, or may be one to two thousand. Limited edition prints are often personally signed (and sometimes hand numbered) by the artist.

A special category of limited edition prints, called artist's proofs, may also be available. Traditionally, artist's proofs were the very first prints off the press and used by the artist to judge print quality and acceptability. They were also the highest quality, since the plate was new. On modern offset lithography machinery, virtually every print is the same as first, so artist's proofs (usually in quantities of 10 to 50) do not add measurably to a print's desirability.