Art Terms

Print Terms
R/M - Remarque's A current practice by some artist in the addition of a small personalized drawing near his penciled signature in the margin of the print. Known has a Remarque. Example R/M 1/8	H/C - Hor de Commerce Hor de Commerce (Not for trade) traditionally were the graphics pulled with the regular edition but marked by the artist for business use only. These graphics were used for entering shows, exhibits, samples, etc. Today however, since people began to acquire and collect them, these graphics now generally find their way to the market place through regular channels and are sold. Example: H/C 2/10
A/P - Artist Proofs Common practice is that 10 to 15 percent of an edition reserved for the artist. These proofs are identical to impressions in the edition in most instances. Example A/P 3/35
S/N - Signed and Numbered Authenticated with the artist signature, the total number of impressions in the edition, and the order in which impression is signed: "4/350", indicated that the print is an edition of 350 impressions.
Reproductions
Multi - Media Prints/Reproduction Mixed media prints are primarily a product of the past 30 years of printmaking. "Media" in art refers to the materials or artistic methods, such as oil or acrylic paint, brush or pallet knife. Mixed media is the combination of materials and methods to create an image. Mixed media original prints are hand-drawn prints that employ combinations of methods. There is no greater acquisition in print form than one produced by an artist in his or her studio.	Poster The invention of printing, particularly lithography, was of paramount importance to poster art. Poster design requires a clear expression of the idea or product being advanced. The poster must be visible at a distance and comprehensible at a glance. Thus, lines are generally simple, colors few and bold, and lettering kept to a minimum. Posters are never limited to an edition size or signed by the artist.
Serigraphs Because it is basically a stencil process, serigraphy (also known as silk screening or screen printing) has the deepest roots of any printmaking techniques. A serigraph is created this way: A screen of silk, nylon or polyester is stretched tightly across a frame. A design is made in stencil form on the mesh by blocking out parts of the mesh. The remaining open areas allow the ink to be squeegeed through to the paper below, resulting in the final printed image. Serigraphs are works of the artist conceived as serigraphs and had printed either by himself or a master printer under the artist's supervision. Although many prints may be made from each set of screens , each is printed individually. Therefore, serigraphs, like other graphics media, are termed "multiple originals". Many serigraphs today are produced from an original work in another medium. These are printed in much the same way, but use camera-produced screens. These serigraphs, usually published and offered for sale by a publisher, may be done with or without the artist's involvement in the printing process.
Giclee With the advent of the Giclee the art of fine printing has become even more precise. Because no screens are used, the prints have a higher apparent resolution than lithographs. The dynamic color range is like serigraph. In the Giclee process a fine steam of ink-more than four million droplets per second is sprayed onto archival art paper or canvas. The effect is similar to an air brush technique but much finer. Each piece is carefully hand mounted onto a drum which rotates during printing. Exact calculation of hue, value and density direct the ink of four nozzles. This produces a combination of 512 chromatic changes (with over 3 million colors possible) of highly saturated, nontoxic water-based ink. The artist's color approval and input are essential for creating the final custom setting for the edition. The latest advancements in the Giclee process are the work of a sophisticated fine art production facility that utilizes the highest resolution digital printers. This edition of fine art prints is a collaboration between the artist and a specially trained printing craftsmen. They have extended the boundaries of current technology by customizing their equipment, designing new programs, and offering protective coatings to ensure quality standards for the collector. Displaying a full color spectrum, Giclee prints capture every nuance of an original painting - be it watercolor, oil or acrylic
Lithograph Lithography was invented c.1796 by Aloys Senefelder, and the Bavarian limestone he used is still considered the best material for art printing. Lithography is based on the antipathy of oil and water. A drawing is made in reverse on the ground (flat) surface of the stone with a crayon or ink that contains soap or grease. The image produced on the stone will accept printing ink and reject water. Once the grease in the ink has penetrated the stone, the drawing is washed off and the stone kept moist. It is then inked with a roller and printed on a lithographic press. As a process, lithography is probably the most unrestricted, allowing a wide range of tones and effects. Several hundred fine prints can be taken from a stone. In color lithography or color photolithography, a stone or plate is required for each color used. The term photolithography is also applied to a process used in integrated circuit manufacture. Light is shined through the non-opaque portions of a pattern, or photo mask, onto a piece of specially coated silicon or other semiconductor material. The portions of the coating that were exposed to light harden, and the unhardened coating is removed, as by an acid bath. The uncovered silicon is altered to produce one layer of the integrated circuit. Advances in this technique have replaced visible and ultraviolet light frequencies with electron and X-ray beams, which permit smaller feature sizes in the patterns.
Other Printing Processes
Monotype Monotype refers to the technique in which a single print is created by painting with inks onto a non-absorbent surface such as zinc, copper, or Plexiglas. The surface is smooth and is never cut or scratched. After printing, the surface can be cleaned and a new, unique image can be created on the same plate. Monotypes can be printed either by hand-rubbing the print with a barren or the back of a spoon, or by running the print through an etching press. Usually, only one print is made with this process. Sometimes, however, a second print can be pulled from the residual ink left on the plate after the first print. The resulting image is fainter and has an ephemeral quality. It is appropriately termed a "ghost image." Collage elements can also be incorporated into the print through a process called chine collé, further adding to the unique qualities of this method of printing.
Etching or Intaglio Considered an original graphic, they are produced as multiples. The artist draws on the surface of a copper or zinc plate, which is coated with an acid-resistant varnish, or "ground" using a sharp tool (burin), scribing into the ground and removing the varnish where the lines will appear. The plate is dipped in acid, which exposes or "bites" the soft, exposed metal, creating grooves or sunken channels, which will hold the ink. Ink is rolled onto the plate and fills the grooves. The surface is wiped clean and the inked plate is pressed into moist paper, which releases the ink creating the image in monotone. Sometimes the artist will return to the monotone print and add watercolors to each individual example, making it unique from all others. In most cases, the plate is then defaced or destroyed preventing the creation of any additional prints.	Woodcuts (Engraving) Considered an original graphic, they are produced as multiples. Includes any technique that involves the scratching of a design on a hard surface to create an image. Ink is rolled into the grooves, the surface wiped clean and the plate is pressed into moist paper to release the embedded ink onto the sheet. Differs from etching, in that it does not rely on caustic acid to create the design. Often the finished engraving is hand-painted with watercolor. Many fine, early Twentieth Century plates are still being produced as Antique Engravings