I sometimes look on Trade Me for pieces of art I can hang on the wall, but I’m confused by the difference between prints and reproductions. They look much the same and both can carry the original signature of the artist.
But is one more valuable than the other? And how can I be sure I’m getting one, not the other.
Prints are produced by, or under the supervision of, the artists who design them.
Right from the start, the aim of the artist is to produce a number of prints so that their new image can be purchased by more than one buyer.
These are sometimes referred to as lithographs or screen prints. The process requires a special artistic skill called print-making. Prints are produced in small runs, because the image can start to deteriorate after a certain number of prints are produced. So they are produced in limited editions, usually fewer than 200 and are individually numbered. The process produces prints that can each look slightly different to the others.
On the other hand, reproductions are basically photo-mechanical copies of an individual artwork already made. The quality of that reproduction will vary from high quality to a simple home photocopy. They can be produced in much higher quantities and the quality of the paper is also variable.
They are produced for those who like the original, but can’t afford it, or by others who want a different size to the original. They tend to sell for about half the price of a print. The reproductions may be copied, signed and numbered by the original artist, but they are not of the same quality.
Prints and reproductions both have their legitimate markets. But reproductions should not be represented as prints. Detailed questioning of the seller about the process is crucial.
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