Defining an Original Print
As Defined by
The Philadelphia Print Shop
An original print is one printed from a matrix on which the design was created by
hand and issued as part of the original publishing venture or as part of a connected,
subsequent publishing venture. For fine art prints the criteria used is more strict.
A fine art print is original only if the artist both conceived and had a direct hand
in the production of the print. An original print should be distinguished from a
reproduction, which is produced photo-mechanically, and from a restrike, which is
produced as part of a later, unconnected publishing venture.
