Many artists create limited edition prints of their work. It’s an excellent tool for providing an alternative to selling only original prints. Limited edition giclée print runs can increase your stock, while also creating demand, as they are “limited” in stock. Now, limited edition prints are such that you are only producing a set number of prints, say, fifty prints, and once sold out, they will no longer be available for purchase.

Our experts here at OAI Art Services have put together this guide to help you with tips and tricks on producing your own line of limited edition giclée art prints.

Giclée Printing

One of the appeals to giclée printing is that it’s a less expensive option than traditional screen printing. By utilizing digital printing, it creates copies of your artwork. Digital printing, which includes giclée printing, has become increasingly popular in recent times, mostly due to the pricing options and quick availability of prints.

Giclée printing creates high-quality prints and make for an excellent option for both the budding and established artist to create their own highly customized line of limited edition prints.

Choose Your Materials Carefully

Giclée printing gives you options when it comes to selecting how your limited edition prints will be printed. You should factor the following into your paper choice: finish, weight, and brightness.

Finish

There are three categories that paper loosely fall into: matte, semi-gloss, and glossy. There are a spectrum of more granular versions within these three categories, but you should be familiar at least with the differences between the three main categories.

You want to take your time examining each option carefully, but keep in mind that whatever paper choice you make, it should be of archival quality. Prints that are made on non-archival materials won’t last for long before the ink begins to fade, crack, and the paper deteriorates.

Brightness

Although all white paper might appear to be the same brightness, there’s a difference that is expressed as a number between 1 and 100, which goes from least bright to most. Brightness is not always important; the image that you have chosen to print will dictate which paper brightness level is the right choice. Keep in mind that you want to get the right “look” for your artwork in the end.

Weight

When printing a giclée print, you want a paper that is thicker than what you would use in, for example, a portfolio. Thicker paper is preferred as it’s less likely to wrinkle or tear over time and stands up better when framed. If your pieces are particularly large, than you want to use paper that’s even thicker to help prevent it from sagging as time passes.

Think about what will best express your artistic vision when making your decisions. However, try not to become too tangled up in the details. The process of making selections for giclée printing might seem intimidating at first, but once you go through the process, it becomes easier and like second nature to make your selections.

Other Factors to Consider with Limited Editions

Authentication

One of the ways to give your buyers confidence is to include a certificate of authenticity. Additionally, doing so increases your image of professionalism. Although certainly not a requirement, it’s recommended that you design a certificate to ensure that it’s clear that your print is an authentic piece.

Rather than include a certificate of authenticity, you might opt to include a signature on each limited edition print in a run.

Sizing

It’s important to take sizing into consideration when planning your limited editions print runs. This is because once they have been printed, you can no longer go back and make any alterations to their size. With limited editions, you’re creating a limited demand for your art and buyers want to feel that they’ve purchased something that’s close to being one-of-a-kind.

If you are planning a run composed of, for example, a hundred limited edition prints, then you may want fifty in an A4 size, 20 in A3, and 30 A2 editions of the same piece of artwork. Make sure that you number each print out of the total number of prints produced, e.g., 45/100, or specify the availability of each size.

Pricing

Depending on where you are in your artistic career, your prices will differ. However, when pricing limited editions, you price it in relation to how you would price your original pieces. We recommending pricing by the square foot, as this allows you to calculate custom sizing quote requests on the fly.

For those new to the market or to selling their art, you want to set reasonable prices in order to attract buyers. For an established artist with an existing client base, then you can look at increasing prices for your art prints. Certain artists will even increase the price of their prints as they sell, because they’re becoming more limited in availability.