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It’s come to my attention, that I use a lot of art speak and I need to explain things to my non-arty audience. I strongly believe that art buying should be inclusive. Many people are put off by price and fear of ‘looking silly’ when they’re talking about art, but I think it’s like everything, you need to make mistakes to learn! So here goes, an attempt to demystify print editions. 

There are 2 types of print edition that I sell - Limited Edition and Open Edition. 

An Open Edition Print is a set of artwork prints where the overall quantity is unlimited. So the artist can make as many prints as they like. A Limited Edition Print is where the number of prints in a set is pre-determined by the artist and cannot be changed. The artist chooses the number in the edition, and the smaller the edition, the rarer the prints, that’s why they demand a higher price. A good example is my Charcoal Hearts set of prints.

I chose an edition of 30 for this print, because the artwork was a gift for my partner’s 30th birthday so the number had a sentimental value. The reason that these prints are more valuable is because once the set of 30 has been sold, I would not be able to make anymore prints, so it is in effect, more collectible in the eyes of the art world. 

So why would I chose to sell open edition prints, if the limited edition ones are more valuable? The answer is accessibility, because I can put a lower price on these prints I make my work more open to all. So for example, the Charcoal Hearts print is £26.50, where as an open edition print, Champagne Bottles, of the same size is £21.50. 

So, how can you tell the difference? A limited edition print has an edition number and print number in the corner of the print like the one in the image below and open edition prints tend to be signed and numbered in pencil as well, as an extra hint! 

Browse my open and limited edition prints on my website: https://www.bobbiewhittakerart.co.uk/artwork-prints