Determining The Size Of Your Limited Editions Run

Use these tips to decide on the right size for your limited edition run.

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by Tanya Singh

The idea that art marketplace is based largely on scarcity is what drives many artists to produce their works in limited editions. This creates an environment where buyers are likely to pay college prices for pieces they know to exist rare or more than difficult to come up by. This, in plow, is based on the guarantee that the artist will non produce additional runs exterior of the set number. Not only are express editions considered superior among buyers but tin can also exist more than beneficial to an artist.

Notwithstanding, as an artist, one time y'all make up one's mind to produce limited editions of your work, how do you decide on the actual number of images? Knowing you could never become back from that decision, no affair how popular the slice becomes or how speedily information technology sells out, could make this decision very difficult. In this article, Agora Experts share tips on how to come up to a final number that is correct for you.

For Limited Edition Runs, Scarcity Drives Value

limited editions run
Ellen Cuylaerts produces limited edition runs of 20 and 100 for her underwater photographs.

The equation is unproblematic – the more limited the edition is, the more valuable the slice. However, producing a limited editions run is not ever possible or fifty-fifty advisable for an creative person, peculiarly ane in the early stages of his or her career.

A well established artist can choose to produce his piece of work as a limited edition of only 5 pieces and yet profit as much as he would for a hundred original prints, but for an emerging artist this tactic would not work at all. Many artists agree that having a larger number for your limited editions run is a wise measure at the beginning of your career.

Having said that, one must besides go along in listen that it is disingenuous to create a "limited edition" of an enormous number simply to create a false sense of urgency for potential buyers. About emerging artists tend to choose a number between 200-500. This fashion, your express editions run is non too small to hamper sales and just big enough to interest and satisfy your buyers. Ideally, the number for a large express edition run should not exceed 850.

Consider Physical Size

In that location are other measures yous tin take to get the best out of your limited editions run. Ane style to expand your run could exist to break it downwardly according to size. An creative person may choose to have a few different sized limited edition runs for the same photograph or artwork.

For example, a photographer may decide to print a full of 100 editions of a work that are 8×12 in size, 50 editions of the same work that are 10×15 and five that are 16×24. As long as the artist is absolutely transparent near the different sizes available, this is an adequate practice.

Information technology is recommended to include this type of information in a Certificate of Actuality or at the very to the lowest degree, to disclose it verbally. Information technology could besides exist mentioned in writing on the artist'south Bill of Sale or elsewhere.

Useful Articles: What to Consider When Making Limited Edition Prints

A common practice regarding the same process is having a larger number of prints for sizes that are smaller. For instance, if a limited edition print is available in two sizes – 4×6 and 16×24, more ofttimes than non, the number of prints in the four×6 express editions run volition be much larger than in the sixteen×24 run. This practice increases the number of buyers that would adopt to buy a smaller impress while retaining the exclusivity of the larger pieces for buyers that tin beget it.

Note: An artist may Non ingather an epitome from an existing work, reprint it and phone call this "new" image a different edition. This practice is considered ethically incorrect.

clare page - illumination, 2012 - limited edition run of 100
Clare Page is an award-winning landscape photographer from New Zealand. Her express edition runs range from 50-300.

The Right Size for You

If yous exercise not want to produce a express edition run in the single digits but would notwithstanding like to proceed your editions small-scale plenty to attract buyers, consider making your edition but large enough so that yous can continue to sell for a reasonable amount of fourth dimension and are able to eventually sell out. Trial and error is oft the best way an artist can arrive at this number because it varies for different artists depending on their outreach and popularity. A good place to start could exist somewhere between 150-250.

Look at your peers and encounter how many pieces they are limiting their editions to and what the cost range is. This volition obviously vary tremendously from artist to creative person, but if y'all keep your optics open and begin to take note you will eventually have a good set of criterion that you can utilise to your own piece of work. If you lot find that you are selling out faster than y'all originally thought, you can heighten your prices and decrease your number with confidence.

Rodney Graham, a Canadian artist best known for his conceptual photographic works, can be used every bit an example hither. Graham started his career in the late 1970s. In 1990, he produced a limited editions run of 500 for hisOxfordshire Oak work.Within a few years his works became quite popular and he was chosen to stand for Canada at the Venice Biennale in 1998.

His express editions run for the photographic serial Welsh Oaks was very well received at the Biennale. Each of the works in the serial was limited to only 2 editions. The highly sought-afterward creative person decreased the number of editions a smashing deal subsequently reaching the peak of his career. The entire series of express edition prints was sold at nigh $200,000 in 2013.

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Proceed Price in Listen

The price is some other important gene to go along in mind when considering producing limited editions. In that location are ways in which you can use the cost to increment the interest of buyers past modifying the prices depending on the situation.

A diverseness of factors can impact pricing within a ready express edition:

  • If a limited edition run of 50 pieces has been set and the work begins to sell very speedily, the toll of the remaining pieces can be increased to match what the market is willing to pay.
  • Fifty-fifty if the work is not selling out at the speed of lightning, it is a common practise to set up the prices higher for the last few editions remaining.
  • The prices will as well be different for different sizes of the same work. In this case, likewise, the prices tin exist marked upwards at whatever point of time, depending on the traffic and demand.

Useful Article: How To Price Your Artwork

The Importance of Staying Organized

riya sharma studio - limited edition run
Riya Sharma, a travel photographer, in her studio.

While it may be the last thing on an artist'southward heed, staying organized and keeping proper records is very important. When producing a express edition, it is very piece of cake to get dislocated with the different sizes or dissimilar prices. You must get into the habit of maintaining simple records for all your limited edition runs.

Excel Spreadsheet is a good tool that could be used for maintaining these. Keep clear records on the number of pieces created and the number of pieces sold and at what prices. It also helps to add a minor thumbnail image of the work forth with the slice title.

Note the details of the buyer for futurity reference equally well as the dates concerned with the procedure. It may exist tempting to rely on galleries to keep this information for you, but the reality is that such information must be furnished by the creative person himself so as to keep track of any discrepancies. You can also apply this information to follow up with buyers. A great way to increase your sales is keeping the already interested former buyers informed nearly your new works with the aid of Social Media or Artist Newsletters.

Artist Proofs – An Exception To The Rule

The but exception to the rules regarding limited editions runs is in the case of Artist Proofs. An Creative person Proof is, in theory, an initial print taken in the printmaking process to see or check the printing state of a plate while the plate is still being worked on.

Merely put, it is substantially a examination print that an creative person puts his signature on. The number of Artist Proofs varies from artist to artist, even so, this number must not be more than than ten% of the limited editions run. Most artists keep only 1-2 Artist Proofs for all their editions.

These prints belong to the artist alone, however, information technology is advised that the number of Creative person Proofs exist disclosed to the buyers. They may not be sold as part of the express editions run and therefore, do not contribute to the final number. Some artists choose to keep these prints for themselves. However, they can eventually be sold every bit individual works at a after time and at a college cost. They are marked every bit "AP" or "HC" for the French term "hors de commerce" which translates to "outside of business."

You can learn more most Creative person Proofs from our previous commodity, What To Consider When Making Limited Edition Prints.

It is important to recollect that there are no hard and fast rules concerning the number in a limited editions run and the number is completely up to you. However, you must keep all these aspects in mind to come up to a determination which is suitable for you and for your work. This is a learning process that all artists must go through and, through trial and fault, you volition become better at determining what is the right number for yous.

Do share with us how you decide on a number for your limited editions run or if you have whatsoever questions regarding the procedure.

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Tanya Singh is a budding fine art historian and author. She is currently pursuing her postgraduate studies at the LASALLE Higher of the Arts, Singapore. With a versatile portfolio, she has over three years of experience in writing besides equally editing.