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Right guys this is a bit of a beginner question!
Im have a little query on numbering prints. When you label a print as 5/50 (for example) does this denote it is number 5 of a limited edition print? Sorry if this sounds a bit confusing......its because I am confused! Lol.
Ollie
It would mean it's number 5 of an edition of 50 prints, which would be pretty limited.
You know, it's a bit of a slippery-slope numbering prints and offering 'limited' editions - do you really want to go there? If you're making prints with old processes (photogravures, tintypes etc.) then maybe there's a degree of validity to the whole business since individual prints are hand-crafted and often unique. But if you're making inkjet prints (or even silver-gelatin B&W for that matter) it all seems a bit hollow and a tad pretentious. For an interesting rant on the subject, check this out.
I'm with redstar on this one. It may work with renowned artists but as a budding photographer it doesn't particularly serve a purpose. Would I really limit a print run to say 100 when I might sell a 1000 ? hardly. It's just illogical, even if your selling the 100 issue run at £1000 a print.
Another question about printing!!
When i get order i was planning to send the file off to my printer (not local to me) and then he sends them off to the customer. So what do i do about labelling? Can i just get my name and the print name printed at the bottom (i am using giclee prints).
Cheers
It depends partly what market you're aiming at. I was just stating the perception of many collectors/galleries - about 20 is regarded as the 'norm' by many. 50 is a big edition. Much more than that and many will think of it as an unlimited run, even if in theory it's limited to 200 or whatever.
There's nothing wrong with a big run if it makes you money, each of us judges the market for himself. With an unlimited run you'll put off some buyers, but if you're managing to sell hundreds of the same print at a reasonable price you might not care. Many of Joe Public might not care either. There's nothing wrong with an IKEA stack 'em high and sell 'em cheap approach - it works for the Swedes.
Personally I wouldn't want to make more than 20 prints of a single image anyway - I'd get bored with it apart from anything else. I can always take more pictures and don't want to spend the rest of my life producing the same prints over and over.
So much of creating a market for your prints is down to perception of the buyers, which includes archival properties of the print, getting a signature on it, how limited the edition is, framing and presentation etc. Limited edition is just one aspect. Logically a mass-produced poster included in a magazine may more or less the same as an original, but people are willing to pay more for some kind of exclusivity, a signature, archival quality etc. It's up to the artist who he wants to appeal to and how you present your work.
I email a few local shops selling photography, artwork etc and one has got back to me asking to arrange a viewing of my portfolio in a couple weeks!
As i have only just started to sell my images they are all digital files - what should i do? Do i need to get a selection printed?
Yes 
You have to present your images in a professional manner to give the client confidence in your work.
Quote: Do i need to get a selection printed?
You bet you do.
I would say, you need at least some samples showing the quality of the printed work.
They will need to know what you are actually going to supply, and it would be nice to have them in a smart portfolio case.
It will help if you know what sort of subjects and sizes they would like to see, so you can target the right selection.
Having said that, I wonder if its OK nowadays to have a larger selection as a laptop presentation as well.
In the background is the question of mounting and framing, do they do it, or do they sell as is.
If you are going to supply mounted or framed, they might like to see a sample, although you may not have to do that right away, and two weeks might be a bit tight for that.
Quote: Should they be printed and mounted or framed as well?
See above
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