How to Read a Print

The bottom margin of a fine art print is doing a lot of work. Pencil marks, fractions, abbreviations, sometimes a little stamped symbol — and if you don't know what any of it means, it can feel like a code you weren't given the key to.

Here’s what it all means.

The Edition Number

what it looks like: 6/70

The most common thing you'll see. It's a fraction, but it's not a ranking. The bottom number is the total size of the edition — in this case, 70 prints exist in the world. The top number is where your print falls in the sequence it was printed.

6/70 is not worse than 1/70. They're the same print. The numbering is documentation, not hierarchy. Some collectors have preferences either way but there's no market difference between early and late impressions in a modern limited edition — the edition size is what matters, not your number within it.

Artist's Proof (AP)

What it looks like: AP or A/P, sometimes AP 2/5

A small number of prints set aside outside the main numbered edition, traditionally for the artist. By convention, artist's proofs shouldn't exceed 10% of the edition — so a run of 20 might have 2 APs.

They're identical to the numbered edition in every material way. Same paper, same ink, same printing. The distinction is mostly historical — before editions were strictly documented, artists kept back proofs to track their own work. Today APs are usually kept by the artist, used in exhibitions, or documented alongside the edition.

Bon à Tirer (BAT)

What it looks like: BAT, sometimes B.A.T.

French for 'good to pull.' There's only one of these per edition. It's the print the artist approves before the full run begins — the standard everything else gets matched to. If you own a BAT you own something genuinely singular.

You don't often see BATs for sale. They usually stay with the printer or publisher as documentation.

The Signature

What it looks like: handwritten, usually bottom right

Pretty self-explanatory but worth saying clearly: a hand-signed print is signed by the actual artist, in pencil, in the margin. A printed signature — one that's part of the image itself — is not the same thing and is worth considerably less. If it looks too neat to be handwritten, it probably is.

Pencil is the convention because it's stable, doesn't fade, and can't be faked with a stamp. If it's in pen, that's unusual enough to be worth asking about.

The Chop

What it looks like: a small embossed or stamped mark, usually in a corner

A chop is the printer's or publisher's mark — an embossed seal pressed into the paper without ink, or sometimes a small inked stamp. It identifies who printed or published the edition. Not every print has one, but when they do it's a sign of a workshop that takes documentation seriously.

Almost every printmaker has their own unique chop, and often you will only be able to identify a print’s printer by the chop.

Similarly, perhaps even the origin of chops, ancient Chinese painting and Japanese woodblocks also use signature stamps made from stone.

W Editions prints carry our chop. It's part of how we stand behind the work.

The Title and Date

What it looks like: handwritten or typed below the image

Often included in the margin alongside the number and signature. The title is the title of the work, the date is when the edition was printed — not necessarily when the image was conceived or the collaboration started. On W Editions prints, that gap can be significant. Some editions take years from first conversation to final print.

The Paper

Sometimes listed, sometimes not

On well-documented editions, the paper is identified — either in the margin or in the accompanying edition documentation. It matters more than people think. Paper affects how the ink sits, how the colors read, how the print ages. When we list a paper in an edition description, it's because it was a real decision.

If you have any questions about how our editions are documented, just reach out.