| Author | Message | ||
  Cathy |
Thanks Carrie, you are absolutely right! A print is a print is a print! I had read chapter p and I need to go back and refresh my memory! You're right, the lady makes prints. She did talk about marketing too and had some good tips. Thanks! | ||
Carrie Stuart Parks |
Hi Cathy, Actually for twelve bucks matted, they will get it on white, heavyweight paper. If they want ART, they will pay a LOT more. Prints are meant to be an inexpensive way to "own" a part of an artist's work. If they (patrons) are interested in quality art that lasts, they will buy an original. My originals are not that expensive yet. Don't sweat the paper, get one you can afford. A print, unless it is an original print (monograph, block print, etc) is just a print. A copy. A reproduction. Don't buy into the marketing theme that makes reproductions more than they are. I would guess your speaker was from a print maker. (Color Q or someone like that.) They are in the business of selling you on prints. Not, no matter what they say, selling your prints. The print market is over worked, flooded, and oversold. There, my 2 cents. I have had sold out prints and made money on them--look in my book under P. Very best wishes, Carrie | ||
Cathy |
Wait a minute Lex, I just re-read your comment and realized I had got stuck on negatives, thinking you meant the stuff that negatives are made of... ok... I know what you mean now. Thanks...(blush, I'm so silly) Cathy | ||
Cathy |
Lex, is that what they make transparencies on? You'll never guess what? Tonight I attended my watercolor society meeting and the guest speaker was a lady who has a business called Art Editions. The whole meeting was about... reproducing your work! Can you believe it? It was very informative and although what they do is more expensive than I can afford right now, I at least know what is entailed if I should want to go that way. She didn't answer all my questions though, so keep posting anything you think of! Yippeeeee, Cathy | ||
Lex |
Just to clarify... Fuji Crystal Archive is a light sensitive photographic print paper - the same kind of paper your prints from negatives are made on - not an inkjet, laser or other type of paper. You'd have to discuss with the service bureau or photographer whether it's best to have them print on their paper or allow you to supply your own. Chances are a service bureau will be able to supply the paper more economically because they buy in bulk. | ||
Cathy |
Thanks Lex I am going to check that angle out. There are so many ways to reproduce stuff! Carrie - thanks, I like open edition! What kind of paper is your 8X10's on? I have the option of putting my prints on watercolor paper, or can buy an acid free heavy weight paper from the paper store. It is photo quality, but not the kind Lex recommended. I think I would probably have to go to a photo supply store for the Fuji. I will have to investigate. Happy Trails! Cathy | ||
Carrie Stuart Parks |
Hi Cathy, The correct term for your reproductions are open edition. You may produce both an open edition as well as a limited edition--we have done so--and change the quality of the paper and printing. The big thing is that you tell others what they are receiving. I include a certificate on the limited edition prints that tell folks of what state or edition this image may be found. There are a few states that have laws on limited editions. You can have inexpensive stickers made, or create them on the computer, that say "signed by the artist". You may just call your reproductions "prints". I will be offering a selection of prints at an upcoming teacher's conference--8x10, signed and matted, with information on the back, for $12. By the way, I have produced over 20 limited edition prints "the old fashioned way" by having a bunch made, signed, and numbered. That's nuts! Only through careful research should that approach be made as you tie up a great deal of money while the edition is being sold. Ask Kukana, by the way, about her last show experience and sales. They were GREAT! -Best wishes, Carrie | ||
Cathy |
Ah, I knew I could count on wonderfully knowledgeable people to help me! Thanks Jerry, I appreciate that info. Here's another question: Limited editions should make a print more valuable (if the artist ever gets famous Lol) Since I am looking at these being inexpensive anyway, do you think an open ended print would be more suitable? Another thought... what if later I wanted to do giclee prints and do a limited edition. I could do that if I did an open ended print, right? Anonymous, I am going to print on acid free paper, and it is definately a color copy. Is there a fancier word for color copy?? Jerry, you mentioned lithograph... is that the same thing. I'm sorry I am very ignorant of this sort of thing... but thanks to you I am learning! My pricing may go up a few dollars when I get all my numbers in. Unyru, I thought about doing the same thing about the signing part. I want people to know it is more than a print from Kmart. :-) (just because it's cheap doesn't mean it's not good, huh!). Thanks all, Cathy | ||
Lex |
My advice would be to go with photographic prints. Naturally I'm biased, being a photographer, but the fact is a good service bureau or photographer who specializes in copy work will do a better job. (A service bureau is a full-service business that caters to pro photographers - typically they offer film processing on site for negatives and slides, various duplication services, transfer to digital media, etc. I don't consider places like Ritz or Wolf to be service bureaus - they send most work out and the quality is often mediocre. Ask to see samples of work the service bureau or photographer has done - often it'll already be on display in the lobby.) This is a case where it's probably best to let the photographer or service bureau choose which film to use - if they're experienced they'll know what works best for a given job. I'd avoid slide film simply because they'll need to copy the slide to a negative film anyway to make the prints, which introduces another generation and subsequent image degradation. Yes, it is possible to print directly from a slide but the cost is much higher. Anyway, a good darkroom technician can color balance from the negative - be sure to leave them the original to match from. The flat fee for the copy work - labor plus the negative - should cost $50 or less, probably less. Prints in bulk will be very economical. I'd go with Fuji Crystal Archive paper - it's considered to have the best longevity, up to 100 years. Matte finish would probably be best for reproducing art work. If you go this route you'll probably need to sign with a Sharpie or similar permanent ink designed for use on photos rather than the traditional pencil used on limited editions. | ||
unyru |
Cathy: I need to know the answer to the same question, so I hope some of you out there may have it. For your info, Cathy, I had one copy of an 11x14 watercolor painting duplicated at a local photographer's shop. It cost $4.50, and it is a beauty, actually visually better than the original. A CD at the photo shop holds the image if I want more, which I may want of course. About the signing of these copies: Maybe they do not get signed. I thought of: Printed from an original watercolor painting by....me, of course." That's pretty much the way most cards seem to be identified. Or for prints, maybe this "Limited Edition Print Of An Original Watercolor by...???" Another instance combines advertising in a discreet manner, such as including a web site URL or phone number where more may be purchased. I'm interested in: What size will your cards be? Also, what size are the prints? CJAS archives may have a book or other info about these troubling print questions. Good luck, let's see one of those cards in this forum! | ||
Anonymous |
Good advice from Jerry. I would add that as color copies are not considered archival, put your reproductions on the best paper you can -- acid free, if possible. Be sure to tell your buyers what type of reproduction they are purchasing. And if you should choose to limit the edition, make sure you print the entire edition at the same time to get as much consistency throughout the edition as possible. | ||
SutureSelf |
It's perfectly ethical and proper to sign and number limited-edition prints, even if they are four-color lithographs. Remember, though, that they will have your name on them, so it is incumbent on you to make sure that the quality of each and every print is up to your standards. Open-ended editions should not and cannot be numbered. The numbering scheme for prints looks like this: a/b, where "a" is the particular print in the sequence and "b" is the total size of the edition. For example, 123/500 would denote print number 123 of an edition of 500. An open-ended edition is of indefinite size, so there can be no "b" in the a/b scheme. I've heard of people running unlimited editions and choosing some arbitrary "edition size" just for the purpose of numbering. Doing this is dishonest, unethical and wrong. Before you choose a printer, shop around. Make sure your printer has experience printing fine-art reproductions. Look at examples of his work. Ask for references. Compare prices. Also, make sure you have a feasible marketing plan. Advertising in art magazines carries a very different cost from tacking fliers onto the local supermarket bulletin board. This cost, along with the cost of printing, shipping and other related expenses, has to be factored into the price you charge for the print. Only a price derived from all these factors is reasonable. You've already decided your price will be $10.00. I hope for your sake that this price will be fair both to you and your customers. Good luck. Jerry Fried | ||
Cathy |
I am doing a Christmas painting to remember this years events and I want to make inexpensive copies so that I can sell them reasonably priced ($10). I have checked out a graphics place and can get them done. We aren't talking giclee or iris, just high quality color copies. So here is my question... would you number something like this, and if so (this is probably a real stupid question) do you number open ended prints or just do a certain number? |
