What Are Artist Proofs in Screenprinting?

Artist proofs confuse people.

You see a print marked AP 2/5 next to another marked 12/50. Same image. Different numbers. Sometimes different prices.

I've been pulling screenprints for twenty-six years. Every edition I make includes artist proofs. Not for mystique. For practical reasons that matter to how I work.

What an Artist Proof Actually Is

An artist proof sits outside the main numbered edition. If I print an edition of fifty, I'll pull perhaps three to five artist proofs before or during the run.

These aren't practice prints. They're finished pieces I keep for my archive, send to galleries for approval, or occasionally sell directly.

The term comes from lithography. Printers made proofs so the artist could check registration and colour before committing to the full run. In screenprinting the principle holds but the reality varies.

I mark mine AP 1/3 or AP 2/5 in pencil beneath the image. Same paper stock. Same inks. Same hand-pulled pressure. The only difference is the notation.

Why I Pull Artist Proofs

Every edition needs test pulls to dial in registration. By the third or fourth pull I know whether my screens are lined up. If those early prints are clean I mark them as APs rather than waste good Somerset paper.

I also keep one AP of every edition for my own archive. After twenty-six years I have drawers of them. They're my record of what I've made, how my technique has changed, which inks worked on which stock.

Sometimes a collector asks for a print from a sold-out edition. If I have an AP I'll release it. That's rare. Most stay with me.

How APs Differ From the Edition

In my studio there's no difference in quality. An AP gets the same attention as print number one or print number fifty. Same pressure on the squeegee. Same drying time. Same inspection before signing.

Some artists use APs to test colour variations. I don't. If I'm changing a colour I make that a separate edition with its own numbering.

The only functional difference is quantity. If the edition is fifty prints the APs might be three. Smaller pool. That's it.

Do Artist Proofs Cost More?

It depends. Galleries sometimes price APs higher because they're scarcer. I don't. My APs cost the same as the numbered edition when I sell them direct.

On the secondary market an AP from a sold-out edition might fetch more simply because fewer exist. But that's speculation. I price my work based on time, materials, and edition size. AP or not doesn't change those factors.

What Collectors Should Ask

If you're buying an artist proof ask how many exist. Some artists pull ten or fifteen APs for a fifty-print edition. That changes the scarcity equation.

Ask whether the AP matches the edition or if it's a colour variant. A variant might be more interesting but it's not the same piece.

Check the signature and numbering. AP notation should be clear and consistent with how the artist marks their other work. I use pencil. Always have. Some artists use ink or stamps. Just make sure it's deliberate.

Artist Proofs in My Practice

I print small editions. Twenty-five or fifty prints. Sometimes fewer. For each edition I pull between three and five APs depending on how the run goes.

If I'm working with a new paper stock or testing a metallic ink I might pull more test pieces before I settle on the final version. Those don't become APs. They're workshop prints. I label them differently or don't mark them at all.

An AP in my studio means it passed every quality check I apply to the edition. It's finished work. The only reason it's not in the numbered edition is that I pulled it early or kept it for my archive.

The Practical Side

Printing is physical. Ink dries. Screens clog. Registration drifts if you don't lock your jigs properly. By the time I'm halfway through an edition I've usually dialed everything in. The early proofs show that learning curve.

That's why I mark them separately. They're honest prints from the first few pulls when I'm still adjusting pressure and checking ink viscosity. By print twenty I'm in a groove. The APs capture the start of that process.

None of this is romantic. It's just how hand-pulled editions work. You don't get it perfect on pull one. You get close. Then you refine.

What Makes a Print an AP

It's the notation. That's all. An artist proof is whatever the artist says it is. There's no governing body. No legal standard.

In my case it's a print pulled during or just before the numbered edition. Same quality. Same materials. Marked differently because it serves a different purpose in my workflow.

Some collectors prefer APs. Some avoid them. Both positions are reasonable. What matters is that you know what you're buying and why the artist marked it that way.

If you'd like to see the prints I'm currently making, visit olifowler.com. Every edition is strictly limited and hand-pulled. Once they're gone, they're gone.