ORIGINAL PRINT
A signed print whose master image is made in or on one of several materials, is made solely by the artist, is printed by the artist, and is approved by the artist.

EDITION
The total number of prints made of a particular image. The same image may exist in other editions, depending on whether the artist chose to publish on paper or canvas, in different mediums (e.g., seriorgraphy) or publish different sizes of a piece.

LIMITED EDITION
A preset number of prints after which no more will be made in the same format (e.g., same material, same medium or same size of piece).

SIGNED AND NUMBERED
A print bearing the artist’s signature and two numbers that indicate when the print was signed within the edition (10/100 would mean the 10th print signed from an edition of 100).

CANCELED PLATE
A plate marked by the artist to show that the edition has been completed.

RESTRIKE
When a canceled plate is “taken out of retirement” and reprinted. Restrikes usually sell for much less than their predecessors.

ARTIST’S PROOFS
Prints reserved for the artist and lettered, numbered or marked by him/her differently from the rest of the edition.

REPRODUCTION
When an artist’s work has been printed without him/her having made a plate from which to print it – for example, a poster of the Mona Lisa.

ENGRAVING
Made by incising a plate (or piece of wood) with a sharp tool, then inking and printing the same as an Etching.

LITHOGRAPH
Made by drawing on stone or a metal plate (usually with a greasy crayon), dampening the plate with water, then inking the plate. The ink sticks to the greasy areas but not the damp areas; when paper is pressed against the stone or plate, the ink from the greasy areas is transferred. (Note: each color must be added separately!)

ETCHING
Made by covering a plate with an acid-resistant substance, drawing on the plate with a sharp tool, and immersing the plate in an acid bath which eats into the spaces where the drawing tool has sliced through the resistant substance. The plate is inked, the ink settles into the sliced-out spaces, the plate surface is wiped clean, and paper is pressed into it absorbing the ink from the sliced-out spaces.

SERIGRAPH
Made by stretching a screen (usually silk), creating a stencil by saturating certain areas with a varnish-like substance, placing paper under the screen, then forcing ink through any unvarnished areas. (Note: each color must be added separately!)

GICLEE PRINT
Made by scanning an image into a computer and using a rotating digital printer to spray various inks at approximately 4 million droplets per second onto archival art paper or canvas.

GOUACHE
A technique that employs water color painting with opaque colors mixed with water and gum.