Purchasing prints can be a daunting experience for the first tme buyer. With the growth of auction web sites and online selling, the process can sometimes be difficult for even experienced buyers. Understanding how various types of art are created, the look and feel different artistic processes generate, and how to determine and verify print runs or states are crucial to verifying a print is authentic.

While we can not offer specific advice, we do offer on this page some basic materials on printmaking designed to help potential buyers, or current owners, better understand the work—and its potential value.

"What is a Print?"

Materials excerpted from the brochure What is an Original Print?, produced in 1961 by the Print Council of America. Though dated, the materials provide a solid introduction to the printmaking process, the roles of those involved in creating, managing, and selling prints, and the historical overview of prints as collectible works of art.