A guide to essential terms for limited edition prints, photographs, and multiples.
This glossary provides clear explanations of key terms used in editioned artworks, printmaking, photography, and sculpture multiples. Whether you are collecting contemporary prints, researching techniques, or exploring how editions are produced, this guide helps you understand essential vocabulary and production methods. Use the A–Z navigation to quickly browse and discover specific terms related to editions.
A
Aquatint
An intaglio technique using tonal areas created by acid etching a textured ground.
Archival Pigment Print
A high-quality print made using pigment-based inks on archival papers, known for longevity and color stability.
Artist’s Book
A book created as an original artwork, often produced in limited editions.
Artist’s Multiple
A work of art produced in multiple identical or near-identical examples, including sculpture or objects.
Artist’s Proof (A.P.)
Prints or multiples set aside for the artist, separate from the numbered edition.
Analog Print / Darkroom Print
A photographic print produced using traditional darkroom processes and light-sensitive materials.
B
Block
The carved or prepared surface used to produce a relief print such as a woodcut or linocut.
Bon à Tirer (B.A.T.)
The final proof approved by the artist, used as the standard for the edition.
Bookplate
A small printed label, sometimes collectible, designed to indicate ownership of a book.
C
Catalogue Raisonné
A comprehensive, annotated listing of all known artworks by an artist.
Chine Collé
A printmaking technique where thin paper is bonded to a heavier sheet during printing.
Chromogenic Print (C-print)
A color photographic print made using chromogenic materials and chemical processing.
Collage
A work created by assembling different materials onto a surface.
Colophon
A statement in a book or edition giving details about its production, materials, or printing.
Contact Print
A photographic print made by placing a negative directly onto the paper during exposure.
D
Deckle Edge
The natural, feathery edge found on handmade or mould-made papers.
Digital Archival Print
A print made with pigment-based inks on archival papers via digital methods.
Digital Pigment Print
A high-resolution inkjet print using pigment inks.
Digital Printing
Any print produced using digital files and printing technologies.
Drypoint
An intaglio technique where the artist scratches directly into the plate, creating a rich, burr-like line.
E
Edition
The total number of prints or multiples made from a single matrix.
Embossing
A raised impression created without ink, using pressure alone.
Engraving
An intaglio technique achieved by cutting lines into a metal plate with a burin.
Etching
An intaglio process using acid to bite lines into a metal plate.
Estate Stamp / Estate Stamped
An artwork authorized and stamped by an artist’s estate after their death.
F
Foundry Proof (F.P.)
A proof made at the foundry during the casting of a sculpture, typically for quality control.
G
Gelatin Silver Print
A black-and-white photographic print made on light-sensitive paper coated with silver salts.
Giclée Print
A marketing term often used for inkjet prints; technically an archival pigment print.
H
Hors Commerce (H.C.)
Prints not intended for sale, historically for printers or publishers.
I
Impression
A single print taken from a matrix.
Inkjet Print
A print made using inkjet technology, not necessarily archival unless pigment-based.
Intaglio
A family of techniques where ink is held in the recesses of a plate.
L
Leporello
A concertina-folded booklet or artwork.
Letterpress
A relief printing process using movable type or plates.
Linocut
A relief print created from a carved linoleum block.
Lithography
A planographic technique using the principle that oil and water repel.
Lambda Print
A digital exposure of photographic paper using lasers, then chemically processed.
M
Matrix
The surface or form from which prints are made.
Mezzotint
An intaglio technique known for deep, velvety blacks and rich tonal gradations.
Monotype
A unique print made by painting or inking directly onto a smooth plate.
Monoprint
A print with unique variations even when made from the same matrix.
N
Numbering
The notation indicating an edition number (e.g. 5/30).
O
Offset Printing
A commercial printing technique using plates and rollers, sometimes used for artist editions.
Open Edition
An edition without a fixed number of impressions.
Unknown Edition
Used when the total edition size cannot be verified.
P
Photogravure
An intaglio photographic process producing rich, continuous-tone images.
Plate
The metal or other surface used in intaglio printing.
Pochoir
A hand-colored stenciling technique.
Printer / Printmaker
The technical specialist who prints the edition.
Printer’s Proof (P.P.)
Proofs reserved for the printer.
Printmaking
The art of creating prints using various techniques.
Publisher
The person or organization funding and overseeing the creation of an edition.
R
Recto / Verso
Recto is the front of a sheet; verso is the reverse.
Relief Printing
A printing method where raised surfaces hold the ink.
RC Print (Resin-coated)
A photographic paper coated with resin for faster processing and drying.
S
Screen Printing
A process using a mesh screen to transfer ink onto a surface.
Spit Bite
An intaglio technique where acid is painted onto the plate.
Sugar Lift
A method using sugar solution to create painterly marks in intaglio.
T
Trial Proof (T.P.)
A proof made to test different states before the final edition.
U
Unique Variant (U.V.)
An impression that differs in some way from others in the edition.
V
Variant / Varied Edition (V.E.)
An edition where each impression has deliberate variations.
Vintage Print
A photographic print made close to the date the negative was created.
W
Woodcut
A relief print created by carving into a wood block.
X
No standard edition-related terms beginning with X.
Y
No standard edition-related terms beginning with Y.
Z
No standard edition-related terms beginning with Z.
