Limited editions and open editions: What's the difference?

Limited editions

If you purchase one of my limited edition prints you can rest assured that there will only ever be a specific number of prints produced (such as 15). Once they are sold, there won't be any more available. This is why limited edition prints are more valuable than open editions.

My limited edition prints are all exactly the same. I personally hand print the artwork to stringent quality standards. I use the same paper, the same inks and the same printer for every print in the edition. Your artwork will be numbered (e.g. '1/15') and signed by me.

Edition number 1 of 15

The only other copies of these prints in existence will be a small number of artist's proofs (usually about 3). These are early draft copies of the image where I experimented with various settings to optimise the print quality. These aren't intended for sale but are either archived in my studio or destroyed. I show the number of artist's proofs on the Certificate of Authenticity.

Certificate of Authenticity

I supply each limited edition print with a Certificate of Authenticity which you should keep safe. This Certificate is important if the artwork changes ownership in future (people who buy my prints usually attach the Certificate to the back of the frame). The certificate contains the title of the work, a description of the image, a description of the media, the date it was taken and printed, the print number, the total number in the edition and the date of release of the print. I print the Certificate on archival paper.

Certificate of Authenticity

Open editions

I print my open edition prints to the same quality standards but the number of prints is potentially unlimited. In the future, I might reproduce an open edition print in different sizes or on different paper or even with a different crop. I don't sign my open edition prints.

— David Travis