Digital BW, The Print

Hello,

I saw this post and have seen it on other forums so
I'll keep it brief. I do limited editions for
galleries and festivals. You need to check the laws in
the states you sell in concerning limited editions.
Several states are pretty specific about what
constitiutes a limited edition print and the US Copy
Right office has information concerning what
constitiutes a limited edition. image. In some states
you can be sued by the buyer if you sell a image as a
limited edition after having first sold it a an open
edition. Having multiple sizes of the same print or
cropping it differently or printing on a different
paper and saying its a new edition in some situations,
depending on who the purchaser is  and where it was 
will get you sued.

Limited Editions  have been used by print makers
(monoprints, etchings, silk screen and lithographers)
since each image is hand pulled and the plate becomes
unuseable after a print run, each image was considered
a unique original. thus they became valuable because
they would not be any more images pulled once the
plate became unuseable or destroyed (canceled) at the
end of the print run.  No plate no more image the
value goes up. 

Photography  and digital output especially is a
different ball of wax but still bound by the same
ethical rules. even though there are instances where
the rules are over looked for the sake of market and
sales does make it correct to sell  a limited edition
image in multiple sizes .

the accepted practice in the fine art world is that an
limited edition piece  is more valuable because there
are a finite number. Most serious and knowledgable
collectors will not touch an edition if it is over 100
in the edition. The idea of 1000, 5000  or even 25,
000 limited edition pieces  in different sizes  will
make you money but will not  endeare you to the
serious collector. You might as well just sell it as
an open edition and be done with it.

I've studied with several established fine art
photographers who's limited editions sometime numbered
10 or less. Deciding to do a limited edition piece is
something that should be carefully thought out.  If
your going to do, do it in one size only and be
prepared to never print it again. if you can't do that
then don't do limited editions. Yes there are shows
that ask for the artists to have a certain portion of
their inventory to be limited edition prints. It is
unethical to have a print at one show selling as a
limited edition  and then take it to another show and
sell it as a open edition. It can ruin your reputation
if you're trying to also sell to galleries, musuems
and serious collectors. It also shows you have no
understanding of what  limited edition means.

But enough of this venting. I come from having been a
gallery owner, curator and a I'm a full time
exhibiting artist. i sell to galleries and I do the
festivals and I've seen artists lose sales and
representation by misrepresenting a image as being a
limited edition and then selling also as a open
edition in a slightly different  size or flipping the
negative. As an artist all you have besides your
talent is your word.


I have not problem limiting a image to a edition of
100 or even 25 or 5 as some of my  new work  is being
sold in very small editions. I'm not interested in
selling the same piece over and over again for years
at a festival. I always have new pieces that I can
bring out.  Most of ny inventory divided between
limited editions for my large pieces 11x 17, 13x18 and
open  editions for smaller images 8x10.

As far pricing. if the work is good and the edition is
selling you can decide if you want to raise the price 
as the edition closes out.  I have a piece now that is
an edition of  100. Numbers 1-3 sold for $200 each
unframed and unmatted. Number 4-13 are in my personal
collection to be given to friends as gifts and 14-21
just sold for $300 each unframed and unmatted. Numbers
22- 100 will go for $300 each and probally higher as
the edition gets close to the end. That's the great
thing about digital printing you print as they sell.


Peace,
S\ufffdlongo Lee
<http://www.salongolee.com>




"Message 6 
    From: "Tim Timmermans" zenphoto7@...
    Date: Sun May 14, 2006 10:15am(PDT) 
Subject: Speaking of Print Editions

Which do you sell first in an edition of 25? # 1 or #
25.
Which is more valuable? At what point in an edition do
the prices
increase and by what increments.

I know the answers to these questions may vary but is
there a relative
standard to this process?

I raised my prices and went to edition prints for my
last show and
they sold well. $225 in a 16x20 frame with approximate
11.5 X 15.5
window. (I had sold these for $195 in the past as open
edition 
i.e.not numbered)

I exhibited edition numbers 3, 4 and 5 in most cases,
mixing it up a
bit so it would look like I'd sold editions in the
past."




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