Limited Edition Prints: How Artists Set Up, Number and Sell Them

A limited edition print is one of a fixed number of prints of an image, made on the understanding that no more will be produced later. An open edition has no fixed count and can be printed for as long as it sells.¹ Limited editions are usually signed in pencil and numbered by the artist, such as 67/100.¹

This guide covers how limited editions work, how to choose an edition size, how to sign and number prints, what artist proofs and certificates of authenticity are, and how to sell an edition.

Brakebee is an online art marketplace and selling platform for working artists, with its own print lab in Phoenix. The lab prints aluminum, photo, canvas and giclée prints in dozens of sizes, and every print is hand-checked before it ships.² Artists list their work once and sell it on the Brakebee marketplace, on their own shop and through add-on channels such as Etsy, Shopify and Faire.³

Limited edition vs open edition

Both are legitimate ways to sell prints, and many artists offer both. The difference is the promise you make to the buyer:

How many exist / A fixed number, stated up front / No fixed number

Signed and numbered / Usually signed and numbered by hand / Often unsigned or signed only

Reprinting / No more prints of that edition after it sells out / Reprinted whenever it sells

Who buys / Collectors who want a scarce, numbered piece / Buyers who want the image itself

Records to keep / Each number sold, proofs and certificates / Sales only]

A common plan is to keep a few signature images as limited editions and sell the rest of your catalog as open editions.

Original prints and reproductions

Two very different things are called prints. An original print is made by the artist in the printmaking medium itself, such as etching or lithography. A reproduction is a photographic copy of an original work, such as a giclée of a painting.¹ Reproductions are also sold as signed and numbered limited editions, and some buyers need help telling the two apart.¹ Say plainly in your listing which kind you are selling. Our guide to what a giclée print is explains the most common reproduction process.

How to choose an edition size

The second number in an edition, such as the 100 in 14/100, is the total number of prints you will make of that image, and a smaller edition is generally more collectible.¹ When you choose a number, think about:

• **Demand.** How many prints of your work sell in a year, and how popular this image is likely to be.
• **Sizes.** Some artists run a separate edition for each size of the same image. Whatever you choose, state it in the listing.
• **Your schedule.** A large edition can take years to sell out. A small one can sell out quickly and leave buyers waiting for the next image.

Once you announce the size, keep it. The whole value of a limited edition rests on that promise.

How to sign and number prints

The convention is to sign and number each print by hand, usually in pencil.¹ A common layout puts both in the lower margin below the image, with the edition number on one side and the signature on the other. The first number is that print's number and the second is the edition total, as in 14/100.¹ The number on a print does not have to match the order it was printed in.¹

Keep a simple log of every number: the size, the date it sold, the buyer and the channel. The log helps you answer collector questions and prevents a number from being used twice.

What is an artist proof?

An artist proof is a print from a limited edition that is reserved for the artist and not counted in the edition number. It is usually marked A/P, and by convention proofs number no more than about 10% of the main edition.⁴ So an edition of 50 might have up to five artist proofs, marked A/P 1/5 through A/P 5/5. Artists often keep proofs for their own records, gifts or later sale.

Certificates of authenticity

A certificate of authenticity for art documents the piece. It generally includes when and how the work was produced, who was involved in making it, the exact title and the dimensions.⁵ For a limited edition, artists usually add the edition number and size, the print type and surface, and their signature and contact details. A certificate with no contact details for the issuer offers little value to a buyer.⁵

Rules on selling limited editions

In the United States, sales of limited edition prints fall under state consumer protection laws, and California was the first state to regulate them, with a law passed in 1971.¹ If you sell editions widely, read the rules for the states where your buyers live and describe each edition accurately.

How to sell limited edition prints

You can sell an edition without printing all of it up front. There are three common ways to fulfill it, and Brakebee supports all three:

• **Print on demand from the Phoenix lab.** Each print is made after a collector pays, then packed and shipped by the lab, usually within hours to a day.² If you want to run limited editions this way, Brakebee explains how edition tracking works when you sign up.⁶
• **Ship it yourself.** Order a print run of your own files from the same lab, sign and number the stack, then ship orders from your studio with Brakebee shipping labels.³
• **Use a third-party fulfillment partner.** If you already work with a printer or fulfillment partner, you can route orders to them and sign the prints when they reach you.

Whichever route you choose, keep the edition log current across every place you sell. For the steps before an edition, see how to make prints of your art. For listings and channels, read how to sell prints of your art online, and for the trade-offs between holding stock and printing on demand, see print lab vs print-on-demand.

Start selling your prints

¹ Source: "Edition (printmaking)," Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edition_(printmaking), accessed 10/17/2026.

² Source: Brakebee Print on Demand page, brakebee.com/print-on-demand, as published on 10/17/2026.

³ Source: Brakebee for Artists and Makers page, brakebee.com/makers, as published on 10/17/2026.

⁴ Source: "Artist's proof," Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artist%27s_proof, accessed 10/17/2026.

⁵ Source: "Certificate of authenticity," Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certificate_of_authenticity, accessed 10/17/2026.

⁶ Source: Limited edition tracking, confirmed by Brakebee, 10/13/2026; fulfillment options confirmed by Brakebee, 10/16/2026.