Limited Edition Giclées
A Limited Edition giclée is a very high quality reproduction of original paintings or drawings, produced in strictly limited quantities by specialty printing firms under contract to a fine arts publisher, in most cases Mo Media of Hilo. The edition is printed, with input and final approval by the artist, on high quality acid-free archival Hahnemühle FineArt papers or canvas. Each individual print is hand-signed and numbered by the artist. Once a Limited Edition size is set and printed, no further copies will be reproduced in that form and size. Limited Editions are usually smaller in dimensions than the original piece.
Being limited in number, it is possible that demand for certain Limited Editions could be greater than the number of reproductions produced for the edition. The price of individual prints within an edition often increases as an edition gets closer to selling out.
In the fine arts industry, once an edition is sold out, prints are considered to be on the “Secondary Market.” This means that the print can be sold by the owner or through an agent or gallery—often above issue price—depending on supply and demand. Limited Editions restricted to low numbers have the greatest potential to increase in value.
A Certificate of Authenticity distinguishes authentic limited-edition reproductions from posters or open editions. The Certificate of Authenticity explains, in detail, the various factors that contributed to the production of the Edition, as well as an explanation of the process. Like the print itself, the Certificate has been signed by the artist.