Journal / 1 min read

How to read a print edition

Edition sizes, artist proofs and signatures, explained for first-time collectors.

By Artination editorial (draft) 28 September 2026

A red-handled printmaking brayer with an inked black roller on white paper.

Photo: Umut Hasanoglu / Unsplash

Demo content

Draft editorial copy for the prototype. Any maker mentioned here is fictional.

A number like 12/60 written in pencil under a print tells you it is the twelfth impression in an edition of sixty. Smaller editions are not automatically better, but the number should be honest and fixed.

Artist proofs

Prints marked AP are artist proofs, usually a small number kept outside the main edition. Ask the creator how many exist.

Ask the maker

The best source of information about any edition is the person who printed it. Every creator on Artination links to their own channels so you can ask directly.

Draft guide copy for the prototype. To be reviewed before launch.