Prints & Multiples

Building Your Collection: 10 Things to Know About Prints

24 June 2026

Kirstie Davidson

For many people, prints remain one of the art world’s best-kept secrets. They offer the opportunity to acquire works by some of history’s greatest artists, often at a fraction of the price of a unique painting or drawing. Specialist Kirstie Davidson shares ten things every collector should know.

What is a print?

First and foremost, what exactly is a print?

A print is a work of art created through a process which allows multiple impressions to be produced from the same image. From Albrecht Dürer to David Hockney, artists have embraced printmaking as a medium for experimentation, innovation and reaching new audiences.

Lead image: Bridget Riley (British, 1931– ) § | Coloured Greys 1, 1972 (S.16)

Got Something to Sell?

Contact our Prints and limited editions specialists to find out how much your work could sell for at auction

Is a print an original artwork?

Absolutely, prints are original artworks, not reproductions. A print is an artwork in its own right which should be viewed as an extension of an artist’s creative output.

For many artists, printmaking was a means of developing ideas and experimenting with different techniques and effects, providing a creative outlet with far more flexibility than a unique work on paper or canvas.

Pablo Picasso, for example, made prints throughout his career, producing around 2,400 prints during his lifetime, viewing them as equally important to his creative process as painting and drawing.

Can I really afford one?

Prints by well-known artists can vary in price from a few hundred pounds to several million.

Printmaking truly covers such a broad span of art history that collecting prints allows almost complete freedom for taste and budget. While the top lot in a group of Rembrandt prints might fetch over a million pounds at auction, some of his smaller compositions can be acquired for under a thousand pounds. Have a hankering for an Andy Warhol? Why not take a look at his illustrated, hand-coloured recipes published in Wild Raspberries. Pablo Picasso is more your thing? Many of Picasso’s etchings can be acquired for a fraction of his better-known works.

Collector’s insight: the most expensive work by an artist is not always the one that will bring you the most joy. Some of the most impressive collections are built on a foundation of less expensive works which provide a greater insight into the artist’s intention and evolution, and most importantly are enjoyed by the collector.

Illustrated above: Pablo Picasso | Le Grand Hibou (Bloch 517; Mourlot 110), 1948

Illustrated below: Andy Warhol (American 1928-1987) | Liz, 1964 (F. & S. II. 7)

What are the main printmaking techniques?

You don’t need to memorise every technique, but understanding the basics can make looking at prints infinitely more rewarding:

Woodcut: an artist carves into the surface of a woodblock, leaving an image raised in relief which is then inked and printed.
Engraving: a burin is used to gouge lines directly into a metal plate. Ink is pushed into the incised lines, and paper is pressed into the grooves using a printing press. Some of Albrecht Dürer’s most sought-after prints are engravings.

Specialist tip for deciphering a woodcut from an engraving. If you look closely at a detailed area, do you think the blank space could have been created intentionally? Or is it more likely that it was created as a product of the inked design? If the unprinted area looks intentional, you’re looking at a woodcut. If the inked area seems more plausible, then you’ve got yourself an engraving.

Etching: a metal plate is coated in a wax ‘ground’ before the artist draws into the surface with an etching needle, exposing the metal beneath. The plate is submerged in acid which bites into the exposed metal before it is inked and printed. From Rembrandt van Rijn to Lucian Freud, artists have turned to this technique again and again.

Specialist tip: if you can see a rectangular indentation surrounding the image, you’ve found a platemark. This is the indentation left by the edges of the metal plate as it passes through the press and is a tell-tale sign of an engraving, etching or drypoint.

Illustrated below: Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (Dutch 1606-1669) | The Three Trees (B., Holl. 212; New Holl. 214; H. 205), 1643HOLL. 214; H. 205), 1643

Lithograph: Lithography uses the reaction of oil to water to allow an artist to draw directly onto a large, smooth stone or plate which can then be pressed evenly to a sheet of damp paper, transferring the image.
Screenprint: A stencil is laid onto a ‘screen’, a square of fine fabric, usually silk, stretched within a frame. The screen is placed on a sheet of paper and ink is then pressed through the un-stencilled areas using a squeegee. This innovation was especially popular with the artists of the Pop generation.

Specialist tip: in almost all printmaking techniques, there is usually one block / plate / stone / screen per colour printed. Marc Chagall’s lithographs for example, are produced with as many as twenty-five different stones.

What is an edition or proof?

Prints are often produced in an edition, which limits the number of impressions that can be produced. Warhol, for example, favoured larger editions, sometimes as many as 250, while Picasso produced many etchings in an edition of 50. The increased rarity of a work produced in a smaller edition can sometimes make it more valuable than works by the same artist produced in a larger edition.

Outside the main edition, there are several abbreviations that you may see when looking at prints:

Trial Proof (T.P.): pulled by the artist while finalising the composition. Differing from the final edition.
Printer’s Proof (P.P.): set aside for the printer and publisher. Identical to the final edition.
Artist’s Proof (A.P.): printed for the artist and often inscribed and gifted to friends. Identical to the final edition.
Hors Commerce (H.C.): meaning ‘not for sale’. Identical to the final edition and intended for the artist and collaborators.
Bon à Tirer (B.A.T.): the final proof impression before the edition, signifying that the work is ready for printing. Identical to the edition.

Occasionally artists will produce works in ‘States’ and in some cases an earlier state may be more valuable than a later one. Rembrandt was obsessive about his compositions, often producing one state after another occasionally with only the tiniest of changes. Collectors and specialists alike are often drawn into the mystery of deciphering Rembrandt’s states, and early states can be extraordinarily valuable.

Similarly, a Trial Proof may be more valuable or sought-after than the edition, especially if it is printed in a unique colourway or features aspects of the composition not present in later impressions. Some of Warhol’s most expensive works are trial proofs.

Collector’s insight: don’t be seduced by a lower edition number, impression 1/250 is usually no more valuable or sought-after than 250/250.

Signed or unsigned – does it matter?

Many printmakers signed their work, yet you will often find some editions which weren’t signed or were stamp-signed. This can affect the value, with works lacking a signature often estimated lower than those which bear the artist’s name or initials by their own hand.

Specialist tip: Old Master prints were usually signed or monogrammed in the plate rather than by hand.

Why is paper so important?

I have yet to meet a prints specialist who isn’t alarmingly enthusiastic when discussing paper, myself included. Paper can impact the way the ink sits on or saturates the support. A delicate Japan paper with sheen can add a luminosity to an image, while a fine laid paper adds gravitas to an Old Master.

Specialist tip: shine a torch through the paper and a watermark may appear. These can sometimes tell us more about a print’s history than the image itself.

What part does the printer and publisher play?

Printers and publishers were often crucial collaborators. A particular printer’s skill may influence the result, while the publisher is responsible for overseeing the project and its onward sale to collectors, galleries and institutions.

Illustrated below: Sir Howard Hodgkin C.H., C.B.E. (British 1932-2017) Street Palm, 1991

What about condition?

Prints terminology can be a bit of a minefield. Here are a few terms you might encounter in a condition report:

Colours fresh/attenuated/faded: sometimes specialists will comment on the quality of the colours in an impression. Colour fading or attenuation cannot be reversed and so should be considered carefully.
Trimming: if the sheet is known to have been reduced from its original size, this will be detailed in the condition report and can be a deterrent to some collectors.
Fox marks: a common condition issue, the result of a chemical reaction in the paper fibres caused by age or environment. These copper-coloured marks can often be reduced by a qualified paper restorer.
Light, mount, and backboard staining: throughout a print’s lifetime, it may have been exposed to direct sunlight or acidic mounts, backboards or tape which can lead to discoloration of the paper tone.
Tear or nick: as paper is such a fragile support, you may come across tears which can range from a tiny nick to a sheet edge, to a tear all the way from the margin into the image.
Creasing: a crease, fold, or wrinkle in the sheet, often caused by handling and sometimes a result of the printing technique and so not considered a condition issue.

Many of these issues can be improved by a restorer and we would be happy to advise or offer a referral.

Collector’s insight: condition is not the be-all and end-all. A rare impression with minor condition issues may be far more sought-after and valuable than one more readily available. Equally, some condition issues are expected with Old Master prints given their age.

Great, I’ve bought a print – now what?

The framing and location of an artwork is your most important long-term decision after purchase. Glass or acrylic, UV or museum quality? It’s worth paying the cost of a reputable framer to ensure your work is protected for its hopefully long life in your collection. A good framer will make sure the work is protected from sunlight, and other environmental factors.

The next part is up to you – never hang a print in a kitchen or area where it might be subjected to intense heat, steam and humidity. Similarly, do not hang in direct sunlight, a bright room will be fine but if it’s getting a blast of afternoon sunlight daily (assuming you don’t live in the UK), this may damage your work slowly over time. Sunlight can alter the appearance of bright colours, and it can also damage any unprinted areas of paper, leading to light-staining.

Whether you’re inspired by a Rembrandt etching, a Hockney lithograph or a contemporary work fresh from the studio, prints reward your attention and curiosity. What makes prints so compelling is the way they invite you into the creative process: the decisions of the artist, the skill of the printer and the influence of the publisher. The closer you look, the more you can discover: a layering of art history, evolving techniques and stories hidden in paper, ink and process.

The key to beginning your print collection is simple: look closely, stay curious, discover what you enjoy and go from there.

Department

Prints & Multiples

Specialist

Kirstie Davidson

Head of Prints & Multiples | London