Norval Morrisseau Prints

Norval Morrisseau Prints

Common Print Terminology


Acid-Free Paper 
Chemically neutral paper which, when properly protected, will last indefinitely. This is the kind of paper which is (or ought to be) used for all fine prints, and for the matting and backing material used in framing all fine art prints.

Artist’s Proof
A copy of the print pulled for the artist himself, in addition to the usual numbered edition.  As a rule the number of artist’s proofs will be no more than 10% of the total edition. In the case of a limited edition of 150 prints, for example, there would be a maximum of 15 artist’s proofs each marked ‘AP’.

Atelier
A printmaking studio.

Bon A Tirer 
“Ready to pull” – a notation by the artist, made on the final test print, indicating that the printer may proceed with the edition. Also, the proof which bears this notation.
Cancellation: Defacing the plate, stone or block from which the edition has been printed, making further printing impossible. Also, a print pulled from the defaced block as proof of this cancellation.

Color Separations
The separate plates (or, in photo-mechanical printing, the film negatives) required for each of the individual colors involved in the print.

Deckle
The edge of a paper-maker frame, and the corresponding rough and crinkled edge on a sheet of mold-made paper.

Edition 
The total number of prints approved by the artist for distribution. These are usually numbered such that each print shows the size of the edition; e.g. a print numbered 43/100 is a number 43 out of a total edition of 100.

Embossing 
Printing back-to-front from a sculpted or etched plate, producing a raised image in the paper.

Engraving 
Incising a line into a block or plate with a graver, burin, or other fine tool. Also, a print made from a plate prepared by this method.

Etching
Biting into the plate by chemical means, normally with an acid. Also, a print made from a plate prepared this way.

Foxing
Spots appearing on paper as a result of chemical change. Acid-free paper, if properly cared for, is immune to this problem.

Impression
An individual print or the image produced by any one of the several plates or stones which may be required for a single print.

Linocut
A print made from a linoleum block, into which the image has been cut with woodworking tools.

Lithography
An important printmaking method involving the use of planographic stones or metal plates. The image is created on the plate using a substance (such as grease crayon) which will repel water but attract ink. Water, which will repel the ink, is applied to the remainder of the plate, and the image may be inked and printed. The lithographic process was invented by Alois Senefelder in the late 18th century and was in wide use for both artistic and commercial purposes in the 1970s.

Museum-quality framing
Framing using acid-free matting and backing material, to guard against foxing or deterioration of the print.

Original Print
A print made by the artist, or made in an atelier under his direct supervision, usually signed and numbered in a limited edition.

Photoserigraphy
Serigraphy in which screens are produced by photographic means.

Plate 
A sheet, usually of zinc, but sometimes of glass, celluloid, or another metal or plastic, on which or into which the image is drawn and from which it is printed. Wood or linoleum plates are called blocks; stone plates are called stones, and cloth plates used in serigraphy are called screens.

Printer's Proof
A copy of the print pulled for the print maker himself, on those occasions when the artist is assisted by such a craftsman. As a rule there will be only one such proof, marked 'PP.'

Progressive Proof
A proof showing one or more of the stages involved in a multicolor print, from the first color to the finished print.

Proof
A testing print.

Pull
To print by hand. Also, the impression made by this method, whether of a single plate and color, or the complete sequence of plates and colors involved in the print.

Reproduction
A printed copy of an original which already exists in some other medium - oils or watercolors, for example - or a duplicate of an original print, made without recourse to the original plates or screens (Compare original print).

Restrike
A second edition made from the uncancelled plates of a limited edition print, usually after the death of the artist (see cancellation).

Screen
A mesh of silk or other material (such as cotton, synthetic fibers, or fine wire) used in serigraphy, where it serves the same function as the plate or stone in lithography, or the block in woodblock printing.

Serigraphy
An important printmaking method in which soft inks are squeegeed through screens onto paper or other material. A separate screen is used for each color, and the area of the screen through which the ink will pass is controlled by the application of sizing or the use of hand-cut stencils. A print made by this method is called a serigraph, or a silkscreen print.

Silkscreen
See serigraphy.

Watermark
The paper maker's identifying mark,, left in the sheet by a metal image incorporated into the paper-mold.