What are artists proofs?
A. Artist’s Proofs are a group of prints separate from the prints in a regular limited-edition, traditionally the first few dozen off the press when the edition is printed. They are signed and numbered separately from the regular edition. In the early years of print making when reproduction was by stamping, they were prized by collectors because the images were sharper than those of successive prints in each edition. With modern print making technology that is no longer true, though the artist’s proof remains highly collectible and generally commands a higher price than prints in the regular edition.
