Reproducing Your Artwork PART 2 — Reproduction Types

Myron Arndt

This is part two of a six part series on publishing and marketing your artwork.

REPRODUCTION TYPES

For the purposes of this guide, the types of reproductions we will be discussing will include assorted gift items, cards, posters, limited edition reproduction prints, serigraphs and giclees. Recent technological advances in digital reproduction have opened the door to an increasing number of variances within these broad categories; however, the types we have listed above represent the significant portion of today’s marketplace. More original and unique methods such as etchings and monotypes will also not be considered as they are generally not a mass market reproduction method.

Greeting Cards, Note Cards, or Art Cards

In keeping with one of the major goals of marketing—which is name recognition—cards have become a common form of reproduction. Referred to as either a greeting, note or art card, the primary differences are size whether the inside is left blank, or contains a “greeting”. Either type can be a reproduction of an artist's original painting. Although reasonably inexpensive to produce, in the past they had to be printed in high volumes and distributed widely in order to give a good return to the artist. They are, however, one of the most effective means of establishing name recognition and with effective distribution can be a reasonable source of income. Today’s technology has vastly reduced the cost of producing very small volumes of cards now allowing individual artists the opportunity to take advantage of this effective paid advertising and distribute the cards themselves at shows, events, local retail outlets and on their websites.

Open-Edition Reproduction

The second and most referred to form of reproduction is the poster or open-edition reproduction. Any large scale copy of a painting that is reproduced but not signed or numbered in a set edition by the artist, can be considered a poster. Often, however, the term poster is specifically applied to a reproduction that has identifying type or writing applied either over the image or in the border area, most often at the bottom of the image. By contrast, an open-edition reproduction print does not contain any typed copy or writing as part of the presentation of the image. Posters were often produced primarily for advertising purposes, such as a gallery showing for an artist or some distinctly commercial venture. They have found their way into the mainstream of reproduction marketing due to their relative low price compared to other art forms and the fine quality product achieved by the photo-mechanical offset printing method. Again this product has been revolutionized by the recent ink-jet technology and digital offset printing methods that have allowed for short-run reproductions at competitive pricing.

Limited Editions

Perhaps the best known form of reproduction is known as a limited edition. The limited edition reproduction is produced in the same exact way as a poster, including new ink-jet technology that allows for the reproduction to be printed on numerous substrates, including canvas. However, it becomes distinctive when the artist determines that a set number of these reproductions will be made, he or she signs and numbers each one, and clearly states that no further reproductions of this image will be created in this form—often by including a “Certificate of Authenticity” with each piece. This “limiting” of the number of reproductions available of any particular image creates a basis for making it a collector’s item. Once the edition is “sold-out”, anyone wishing a copy of that particular print must obtain it from someone who has purchased it initially. This can cause popular editions to actually appreciate in value over time.

Unfortunately much has been made of the “investment value” of limited edition reproductions. Their value is completely arbitrary and is determined solely by the popularity of the artist and the demand by collectors for a particular image. In that way they function in the same way as stocks on the stock market and can both increase or decrease in value. As with all artwork, reputable dealers should be encouraging their customers to buy what they like not what may become a good investment. Very few customers and dealers alike are competent “art investors”.

Serigraphs

Another traditional form of paper reproduction is the serigraph. While the making of a traditional serigraph or silk-screen print is still a hands-on process continued by many artists, recent developments in automatic or semi-automatic screen presses have enabled this method of reproduction to vie for mass market status. The new presses can use the same type of colour separation technology as offset presses and can lay down colours one upon the other with precision, speed and in some cases without drying time. This, along with improvements in screen materials, also means that many more prints can be created as opposed to the traditional methods where sheer labour and the eventual disintegration of the materials limited the number of prints that could be produced. In most cases, serigraphs are still sold as signed and numbered limited editions, primarily due to the relatively high cost of reproduction.

Although this does not represent an all inclusive list of reproduction types and methods it will assist us in examining the ways these are used in the marketing process and assist artists considering self-publishing in making choices of reproduction types that best suit them.