The Framers Forum

When is a print a print and when is it a poster?

I rarely have customers tell me they have a poster as they always seem to refer to them as prints.

Any hard and fast rules?

The thickness of paper is usually a clue. Thin glossy paper its a poster, half decent paper it is a print. Posters are usually printed edge to edge as well.

All posters are prints but not all prints are posters.

Generally, if it has big writing on it, it's a poster. Something that advertises something.

When i started out, one of my very first customers asked if we could frame her original print - at the time this seemed like a contradiction!

With printmaking, etching & woodcuts etc., all the prints are originals, even though there can be more than one copy. Printmakers refer to any other type of prints on paper as reproductions, including "giclées"

With photography, there can be more than one print from the negative or digital file, but unlike printmaking the prints can be identical, so I wonder if you would refer to them as original prints or reproductions?

it depends on the type of photographic printing,

for example lith photographic printing is unique every one, and cant be reproduced exactly the same

And what does David Hockney call his pieces that are drawn on an ipad and printed on a wide format printer?

Good point about photographs David. As Steve says hand printed photo's are never identical. (not sure what lith printing is?) We sell original prints and the artist's of these are always rather scathing of giclee's, always referring to them as reproductions

Lith prints are beautiful. They are made in a wet darkroom from B/W negs by over exposing and under developing in a strong developer. You get grainy salmon coloured prints which are as Steve says, original and unique. Modern papers are not as good as the old stuff though

A poster you would be happy to store rolled with a rubber band, a print you wouldn't

^^^^^^tell some of my customers this !!!!