Why Art Prints Are Not Reproductions 

You can find canvas art prints Brisbane for sale alongside paintings and sculptures. Why are they called art prints? They are printed copies of an original artwork or photo that allows people to own a beautiful work of art without the need to buy the original that which is usually very expensive. Art prints can be used absolutely everywhere because it is now the leading trend in interior design. 

Comparing reproductions to art prints 

An original work of art is an image that is drawn, etched or engraved on some kind of surface by an artist. When the artist prints a limited number of his artwork or supervises someone else to do the printing and then signs and numbers the individual prints, they are called prints. 

For example, if 50 copies are printed of the original image, the edition size is 50. The artist will sign and number each copy from 1/50 to 50/50 using a pencil to show that the prints were not mechanically produced. The buyer is assured that each print has been personally viewed and approved by the artist. When the term “open edition” is used, it means that there was no limit to the number of copies that were produced. Numbering the copies would be meaningless. 

Reproductions are also numbered and signed in the same way as art prints although it does not mean that the artist has personally viewed and approved the copies. Reproductions are produced rapidly through offset lithography without the involvement of the artist. Recently, copies are being reproduced through the giclee process that uses a computer and special inkjet printer. Giclee copies are often marketed as art prints but they are in fact high-quality reproductions. 

Even if the artist has been careful in inspecting the prints, there will be subtle differences from one copy to the next. The reason is each print involves manual processes like inking a plate, squeezing paint to the stencil, dampening the printing paper and so on. Some variables may be introduced by the printing plate. On the other hand, thousands of reproductions can be printed without any discernable differences. 

Why are reproductions called prints? 

Prints are more in demand. The word reproduction has a cheap connotation. If a buyer is given an opportunity to choose between a print and a reproduction, he will choose the print. The problem, however, is that most buyers do not know the difference between the two and neither do some artists. Prints and reproductions are usually swapped in casual conversations because print rolls off easily on the tongue. Just because print is accepted easily in photography, it does not mean that it can be carried over to reproductions. There is a big difference because art is a place where honesty and quality has a significant meaning.