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Publishing Giclee & Limited Edition Prints

Setting Edition Sizes

For more information about giclee prints, read Giclee Print & Printing Options for Artists

Q: Two years ago, I produced a series of limited edition digital prints (also known as giclees). Several images have sold out, but they're still popular even though they're off the market and collectors still want them. Should I reissue them? This would, of course, increase the edition sizes beyond what I originally said they would be, but it would solve my marketing problems. Are the rules different for giclee prints than they are for silkscreens, woodcuts and other limited editions?

A: Let me get this straight-- you want to reissue a limited edition print after you already set and declared the edition size? The answer is absolutely unequivocally entirely and emphatically NO. Not only does this apply to digital or giclee prints; it applies to all limited editions including screenprints, etchings, lithographs, serigraphs, woodcuts, monoprints, photographs, sculptures and so on. You see, if you reissue the prints, then in the short run a handful of collectors get what they want and you make some easy money, but in the long run you compromise your integrity, your credibility, and most importantly, the market for all of your subsequent limited editions. Potential buyers will no longer be sure how limited your limited editions will eventually end up being-- or whether they'll ever be limited at all. Such uncertainty can easily cause collectors to lose confidence, and even worse, destabilize your market and drive your selling prices down.

Furthermore, by re-releasing a sold-out image, you essentially sell out your core collectors, those who bought early believing that they were getting exclusives on your work. These are the people who loved your art from the start, bought before the rush, and weren't concerned about how popular or collectible you were. They were just plain fans. Today, they proudly display your desirable older pieces and, in a sense, have become your strongest advocates.

Rest assured that they're not going to feel very good if their foresight goes unrewarded and the market is suddenly awash with reissues of their cherished images. You will have, in a sense, devalued their prints by once again making them easy for anyone to get. They'll feel disappointed at least, betrayed at most, and you'll likely end up with a reputation as an artist who's willing to compromise your integrity for the right price-- which you seem to be on the verge of doing.

Keeping edition sizes constant and never increasing them beyond initial offerings is the best way to go. Not only do you keep your market stable, but you reward your core collectors for supporting you before the masses decide they want in on the action too. New collectors who discover your art and see that certain of your editions are selling out will soon realize that if they don't buy an image while it's still available, they'll either have to search for it on secondary markets and hope they get lucky, or wait for your next new releases.

And think about this-- when you don't reissue your best sold-out pieces, they often become even more desirable and in demand, resellers begin to sell them for more than their original selling prices, and that reflects favorably on the value not only of the limited editions you've already produced, but also on all those you have yet to produce. This is the type of market that increases the overall appeal of your art and steadily attracts new collectors. As a result, you'll likely end up in the favorable position of being able to raise your asking prices on every new release, based on the fact that old ones are selling out and continuing to go up in value on their own.

So let new collectors who want sold out editions try to find them on secondary markets. Be sympathetic, but at the same time tell them that once an edition is sold out, it's history and that once you set an edition size, you will never produce another edition of that image again. Let them know that you'll be releasing plenty more great images or editions in the future and that you'll happily notify them as soon as they're available so that they don't miss out again. This keeps your prices healthy, your reputation steller, and the collectors coming back for more.

If, at this point, you're still dead set on reissuing your most popular images (a genuinely bad idea), at least differentiate the new releases in distinct ways from the originals. Change the paper, change the way you sign them, change a color, change the size, change something. Make those changes clear to buyers so as not to cause any confusion between the original editions and the reissues. Hopefully, these new ones won't impact the desirability of the original sold out images (though they probably will). That way, you continue to acknowledge your most longstanding loyal collectors (at least to an extent) while giving new buyers opportunities to enjoy your most popular images (at least to a degree). But know going in that you always risk alienating your collector base by going back on your word... or even sort of going back on your word. Best advice? Savor your past victories, let them stand as-is, and never look back.