Limited Editions

A major advantage of Giclee printing is that it allows you to

self-publish your own Limited Edition prints.

This section explains how it works.

Publishing a Limited Edition Giclee print run places certain obligations on you as the Publisher, the most important of which is control of the Edition.

You can choose Giclee UK to be Guarantors for the Edition, in which case we will provide as much or as little assistance as you require in controlling the Edition.

For the sake of clarity, we've assumed that the Artist is the Publisher, and that Giclee UK are the Guarantors of the Edition.

What you need to do:

Decide on the size of the edition, i.e. how many prints can be made; there's no standard amount. As few as 2 or 3, or as many as 1000 or more: it depends on how many you think you can sell.
Determine how you will control the edition: you will need to keep track of each print number (e.g. "6 of 50") as it is sold, and ideally the buyer's details.

What Giclee UK do:

Once basic proofing is completed, we produce an Artist's Proof (a Printer's Proof may also be made) for the Edition.

Once you have approved the Artist's Proof, we create a Production File for the Edition. This locks in the colour and density adjustments made during the proofing process, sets the print size, and defines the border - the amount of white space - around the image. The Production File is tagged with additional information such as type of paper used and any special finishing options.

As prints are called off against the Edition, Giclee UK produce a Certificate of Authenticity (see an example here) which must be signed by both Publisher and Printer. We can, if you wish, control the Edition (i.e. log print sales) for you.

When an Edition is sold out, the Production File and all proofing files for that print are destroyed to ensure the integrity of the Edition.