After
Term indicating that a print was not made by the artist in question, but by another artist working "after" his or her design. For example, "Charles Sorlier after Marc Chagall" means that Sorlier made the lithograph based on a Chagall drawing.
Artist's proof
Impressions set aside (usually for the artist's use) from the numbered edition. An artist's proof or épreuve d'artiste is designated by the initials AP or EA but otherwise identical to those from the edition.
Catalog raisonee
A scholarly catalogue that lists all known works by an artist as well as essential information about the works themselves.
Edition
The total number of impressions made of a single print during a predetermined run of the press.
Foxing
Reddish-brown patches of fungus that appear on many works on paper. Thrives in damp conditions and can eventually destroy paper. Foxing can be arrested and if so desired removed, particularly in its early stages.
Half-tone
In half-tone (or "dot-screen") reproductions, pure tone is photomechanically translated into a system of dots of different sizes and/or colors. Half-tone is the form of reproduction used in magazine and newspaper illustration, and is very easy to distinguish under magnification because of the regular shape of the dots.
HC
The abbreviation for the French term hors commerce, literally meaning "not for sale." Impressions designated "HC" were not originally intended for commercial distribution and were therefore not included in the numbering of the edition. Apart from the absence of a number they do not differ from impressions in the edition.
Impression
Any single example of a print. Preferable to the term "copy," which has a range of meanings. Impressions' quality can vary greatly depending on the condition of the plate or blockwhether it is worn or damagedand the skill of the printer
Japan paper
A smooth, warm-toned paper traditionally made from mulberry fibers. It absorbs ink very differently from European paper, allowing it to spread on the surface creating added richness. Probably first imported into the West in the 17th century. In the 19th century, European manufacturers tried to imitate the imported paper; the most common types of imitations were simili Japan, a heavy paper with a hard, shiny surface, and Japon nacré, a smooth, tissue-thin paper.
Laid paper
The oldest type of paper made in the West, produced from rag-pulp spread on a grid-pattern wire mold. Thin wire lines run horizontally across the mold and are held by heavier vertical chain lines, which are spaced at wider intervals. These leave indentations (visible when held up to the light) when the pulp dries.
Platemark
The indentation caused by the plate edges during intaglio printing.
Proof
In the strictest sense, an impression that is in some way unfinished or incomplete. These are sometimes referred to as "trial proofs" or "working proofs" to distinguish them from the various other types of proofs. See Artist's Proof and Printer's Proof.
Printer's proof
An impression set aside from the numbered edition for the use of the printer, but otherwise identical to those from the edition. Generally designated by the initials PP.
State
A deliberate change in the plate, block or stone resulting in a difference in the print itself.
Watermark
A manufacturer's mark visible as a translucent pattern in a sheet of paper. Traditionally, watermarks were made by tying a wire design to the mold from which the paper was made. They are visible when the paper is held up to the light.
Wove paper
Made on a very tightly-woven wire mold that leaves almost no visible pattern. Developed in the 1750s. In the 19th century much of the commercially produced wove paper was made of wood-pulp, which discolors and becomes brittle with time.
