I will be participating in a "Meet the Artist" showing in a few weeks. It is my first time out. The owner suggested I consider some Limited Edtion prints as they tend to sell better. I am thinking an LE of 150 for one of my prints just to test the water.
What are the rules here? Can I produce a limited edition of just 16x24's then another of the same image at another size? The prints will be signed and numbered with a certificate. I will print three or four of this image to have stock on hand. Do I have to print all 150 at once or print them onsey twosey until I hit the max number? Where can I get more info on this topic?
Thanks for any advice!
John
John, you "can" do LE's the ways you mention in addition to other ways. What you "should" do is also up for debate. I wouldn't presume I could tell you what to do, but I think it's a great idea to search for ideas here on the forum, and then remember that you'll have to sift through things and make your own decisions.
Congrats!!! and I also am in the middle of changing my way od dealing with thsi so I can commiserate.
Some charge MORE and only make 100 or 150 of ALL images of any size of a particular image.
Some will only offer certain sizes and then say, like if 3 sizes, 199 editions of all sizes.
These seem to be a way to make the buyer feel like they are getting something WORTH MORE
and thus more likely to make the purchase....I have found that this does not seem to apply to note cards or posters that you may have made of the same images....
Any other ideas out there???? Good luck and I will try to follow this thread but my "Flag" thingy doesn't work??
Probably reflecting our restricted population or my lack of notoriety, I've not seen LE's to make any difference- either in sales or client opinion. Others have different experiences and swear by them.
In a close parallel we collected art prints for years, selling and buying from both individuals and dealers. In a general trend, dealers always wanted to charge more for LE's but would pay no premium for low numbers when buying. Individuals paid a lot more attention. Started to seem more like a sales gimick than a nod to "artistry."
We gave up on LE's and have seen no drop in sales volume or price. Your local market could quite well swing the other way.
Putting on my buyer hat, I'd always prefer a limited edition if I could afford it, and I think the photographer should state that he or she destroys the original after reaching the limit.
Nelcha, I agree there is often a perception issue when a higher price is asked (if it is quality work). I live in a tough market art wise. After much research, and coments here (thank you all) I have concluded there are not any hard and fast rules. I think I will try an edition of one of my 16 x 24's at LE of 100 at that size, charge more for that one than the others and see what happens.
Regards, John
Fred, my show is June 9th with 24 other artists of various disciplines; some established and some new. I would like to hear how you do and good luck on your show!
I offer my prints as limited-variant-editions. The edition size is 100 prints and includes all sizes. I adopted this scheme, not to make more money or anything, but just because I don't have any desire to make more than 100 prints of the same photograph. If I reach that goal I will be very satisfied. By putting a limit I am telling the buyer that I don't plan to make more than that number.
Folks talk about destroying the original. I consider the actual print to be the "original". I therefore don't see any purpose in destroying all of which was used to produce it. Now some people might wonder, what if I continue to make prints after the edition has run out. I guess they will just have to take my word for it. This may not satisfy everyone and but I am ok with it.
Finally, here are some questions of mine that I'd like to throw out.
1) Do you sincerely believe that your work is so important that by just placing a limit you can effect the price?
2) Do you really think that you'll hit the 100 or 150 or 200 limit?
Thinking back to my B&W film days, if the negative is the original it is not easily viewed and needs to be printed. With digital images like reversal (slide films) the image is more readily viewed but still needs some or even a lot of post processing to bring out the beauty of the scene. My goals are to share my vision with others, preserve a little time-slice of the pristine and natural landscape which seems to be disapperaring more and more and make some money if I can. I think I would archive the "original" but not destroy it. I lost most of orignal B&W images in a basement flood some years ago. I have taken to photgraphing my remaining original prints with my digital camera so what point is there in destroying the negative?
Question# 1 - Whether it is impotant to me matters less than if it is important to the buyer. If do not believe my work has value I would not do it. In the end the buyer sets the price by buying or not buying the work. That is where marketing comes in.
Question #2 - I really don't know if I will sell one print much less 100. If I don't try I will not know. I do know if I were to limit to one or five or 10 I would definitely ask more because if it is quality work and limited to the "rare" side of things shouldn't it be worth more? This is a business after all.
Anil these are great questions and should cause us all to stop and ponder our motivations for doing this. My regards to San Jose. I spent a year in the Wattsonville area a long itme ago.
Discussion
8 repliesWhat are the rules here? Can I produce a limited edition of just 16x24's then another of the same image at another size? The prints will be signed and numbered with a certificate. I will print three or four of this image to have stock on hand. Do I have to print all 150 at once or print them onsey twosey until I hit the max number? Where can I get more info on this topic?
Thanks for any advice!
John
Some charge MORE and only make 100 or 150 of ALL images of any size of a particular image.
Some will only offer certain sizes and then say, like if 3 sizes, 199 editions of all sizes.
These seem to be a way to make the buyer feel like they are getting something WORTH MORE
and thus more likely to make the purchase....I have found that this does not seem to apply to note cards or posters that you may have made of the same images....
Any other ideas out there???? Good luck and I will try to follow this thread but my "Flag" thingy doesn't work??
In gratitude,
Nelcha
In a close parallel we collected art prints for years, selling and buying from both individuals and dealers. In a general trend, dealers always wanted to charge more for LE's but would pay no premium for low numbers when buying. Individuals paid a lot more attention. Started to seem more like a sales gimick than a nod to "artistry."
We gave up on LE's and have seen no drop in sales volume or price. Your local market could quite well swing the other way.
Regards, John
Fred, my show is June 9th with 24 other artists of various disciplines; some established and some new. I would like to hear how you do and good luck on your show!
Folks talk about destroying the original. I consider the actual print to be the "original". I therefore don't see any purpose in destroying all of which was used to produce it. Now some people might wonder, what if I continue to make prints after the edition has run out. I guess they will just have to take my word for it. This may not satisfy everyone and but I am ok with it.
Finally, here are some questions of mine that I'd like to throw out.
1) Do you sincerely believe that your work is so important that by just placing a limit you can effect the price?
2) Do you really think that you'll hit the 100 or 150 or 200 limit?
Regards
Question# 1 - Whether it is impotant to me matters less than if it is important to the buyer. If do not believe my work has value I would not do it. In the end the buyer sets the price by buying or not buying the work. That is where marketing comes in.
Question #2 - I really don't know if I will sell one print much less 100. If I don't try I will not know. I do know if I were to limit to one or five or 10 I would definitely ask more because if it is quality work and limited to the "rare" side of things shouldn't it be worth more? This is a business after all.
Anil these are great questions and should cause us all to stop and ponder our motivations for doing this. My regards to San Jose. I spent a year in the Wattsonville area a long itme ago.