Hand-pulled Prints

What is a hand-pulled print?

In an artist hand-pulled print the entire process, from conception to finished print, is planned and brought to completion by the artist. Also, while WPG artists may use computers to develop a print, they always print (or pull) their final image either by hand or with a mechanical press, not by means of a digital printer.

Most printmaking processes involve the creation of multiple images (an edition) of a printed image. Each individual print (impression) in the edition is numbered to indicate the number of prints in an edition. For instance 5/15 indicates that this is the 5th print signed out of an edition of 15. A few additional prints can be printed and noted as trial images, called artist proofs (A/P). These numbers or letters are usually written beneath the image and constitute the artist’s guarantee that no more than the designated number of prints will be pulled. Once a full edition has been printed, the artist permanently marks (cancels) the plate or block (the matrix), so that no further prints can be pulled.

In addition to numbering the edition, the artist signs the print and often includes the title and the year the matrix was created. WPG’s Certificate of Authenticity includes information about the type of paper (or other material) on which the image is printed along with image dimensions. Washington Printmakers Gallery guarantees that any framed print you purchase from the gallery is matted and framed with archival materials.

What it isn't

An artist-pulled print is not a giclee, a pigment print, a digital print or a manufactured multiple. None of these are hand-pulled processes.