Hello,
To answer you questions:
1: You do not have to print the entire edition at one time especially if
your are doing digital photographic prints. If your are doing wet darkroom
printing and depending on the size of the edition you may want to print 5-10
at a time.
2: The prints in the edition should all be one size (this is open to debate
as some feel that they can print the edition in multiple sizes and some feel
that one size only) See what laws your state has or the states you are going
to be selling in concerning LE.
3: The prints do not need to be framed or rmatted but the do need to be
signed and numbered (if the edition is 125 prints then they would be
numbered LE #1/125, 2/125 etc.)
As far as signing; some believe you should sign only on the back. Others
sign on the lower right with : John Photog ©2011 LE #10/25 4/AP
4: This is were the debate becomes heated. If you offer an opened edition of
the same LE print in any size, whether on a different paper, or toned or
cropped; then you do not have an limited edition print. This is where
serious collectors and galleries can have issues with you if they believe
that LE's should only be in one size. Serious collectors of photography or
any art expect that if you say there are 125 in the edition and 10 artists
proofs 10/AP that is what they are paying for. But I'm not going to get into
a debate here.
(I have a new LE of night bridge shot with hot air balloons which is 24"x50"
on watercolor paper in an edition of 5 with 1 artist proof and 3 -10x12
prints printed before I had purchased my Epson 7890. A collector saw the
small prints and we agreed that the edition for the large prints would be 5
plus the 1 full size proof on mat paper
and I agreed not print any more of the small sizes once but I could 3 I had
already printed but not print anymore. The COA has that information on it
and i ca live with that.
5: You need to give the buyer a COA with the information about the print,
the process, the size and edition number. There are samples online. You also
need to keep track of who bought, when and where and the price. The are
software programs like MyArt Collection that let you keep track of the info.
http://www.my-artcollection.com/buy/
I bought it 10 years ago and it was $50. I still use it.
6: I would not dry mount the prints. If something should happen to the
styrene or mat mounting board the buyer could not remove the print without
damaging it and have it remounted/matted. I've had this happen when i had my
gallery in Califofnia. The artist dry mounted the print and framed. It was
purchased but the buyer wanted a different mat and frame. Upon removing it
from the frame we discovered that there was chemical stain on the print.
They couldn't find the neg to reprint it but luckily the print had a 2"
border. I was able to trim the border away and the stained area was removed
(it was at the the bottom of the print and extend about a inch into the
border area which was 2 1/2 inches wide) and rematt the print without
losing any of the image area. If it had been dry mounted, they would have
lost the sale.
I would sell the prints matted and bagged or just bagged on archival foam
core. The buyer will have the the print mounted and framed.
7: As far as pricing you can change the price any time you want upward,
which is artificially inflating the value. In 1997/98 I was at the
International Art Expo in San Francisco and there was gallery from Chicago
showing the work of a photographer who had did a series on Mississippi Delta
Blues musician. They had 20x24 toned prints on fiber paper in a portfolio
boxes with acid free paper between the prints. The prints where gorgeous but
what caught my attention was that this was a LE of series of about 10-15
images in an edition of 100.
I may be off by $100 on the prices but this is what they had scheduled:
Prints 1-30 were $750
Prints 31-50 were $850
Prints 51-80 were $950
Prints 81-100 were $1250
I do not l know if they sold the edition out but I always wondered how they
could decide the price before the edition even started selling.
All this is just my opinion as an photographer/printmaker/visual artist and
a former gallery owner and gallery manager. I currently over see the day to
day operation of a small
artist run non profit gallery in Natchez, MS. You say that the laws in your
state are strict. I would what the statues are for you state and any state
you plan to sell in before you commit to LE.
I have always felt that if there shows requiring a certain percentage of
the images to be LE then I would create a body of images and make them LE (
they would be good work, be price reasonably and if I have best sellers
that are open editions I would be covered and not feel like I'm being kept
from selling my best work. Now if a street festival required all my images
be LE then that is a show that I might pass up. I did a chow in Chicago and
NYC some years back that required that we could not sell reproduction prints
of any kind, which affected the painters/illustrators but not the
photographers as long as there images where printed by them or under their
supervision by a photo lab. They enforced the rule
and several artists where asked to remove the repros from their booth or
they had to leave. The booths ranged $1200-$3000 ( my booth was $2400, and
we did quite well).
2a. Specific Questions/Thoughts On Limited Editions
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/artshow_photo/message/57942;_ylc=X3oDMTJyYmliNWJvBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzkyNDI1NTMEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDE5MDU4BG1zZ0lkAzU3OTQyBHNlYwNkbXNnBHNsawN2bXNnBHN0aW1lAzEzMDY2NTk2MjQ->
Posted
by: "Benjamin DeHaven" benjamindehaven@dajdesignsphotography.com
<benjamindehaven@dajdesignsphotography.com?Subject=+Re%3A%20Specific%20Questions%2FThoughts%20On%20Limited%20Editions>
mcchurchmouse
<http://profiles.yahoo.com/mcchurchmouse> Sat May 28, 2011 8:01 pm (PDT)
My last post didn't get much of a response, and after researching more I
figured out why... God only knows whether to limit editions or not!
The more I think about the more I am leaning towards limited editions simply
for the fact that I do not want to be locked out of any show or gallery.
Here are my thoughts:
1)I'm thinking about doing sizes, at this point in my "career" I am thinking
of offering a 125 edition of 8x12 prints matted to 12x16 AND a 125 edition
of 12x18 prints matted to 18x24 or a 6x18 print matted to 10x22.
2)I would like to offer an open edition of 5x7 prints matted to 8x10, as
long as the COA states this I believe it is kosher.
3)Some in my edition will be framed thought many will be sold just as
matted. Any in the same edition that are framed will be framed in the same
type frame (hurts but I'm thinking full custom framing).
4)I intend to keep everything above board and follow all the "rules", and I
live in Maryland and from what I hear the laws governing this are rather
strict in my state. As stated elsewhere, ethics and integrity make the value
of the print (assuming they ever have resale value).
5)I am going to have all limited edition work dry mounted on 2mm styrene
board for best look and no wrinkling over time.
Comments on these thoughts please...
Questions
1) Do I have to print an entire edition at once?
2) Do I have to number an edition sequentially, or as long as I know what
I've offered I'm ok.
3) Do I need to know who I sold a work to or just that it was sold and
framed vs. unframed.
4) I can raise the price at any time during an edition, but never lower it,
correct?
--
Sálongo Lee
Sálongo's Art, LLC
http://salongosart.com
Natchez Studio: 601.620.0569
SF Bay Area: 510.863.4ART
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