Looking to beef up your art collection with original art, for little money? Try purchasing artists' prints. An original "print" is one that is created by an artist on a plate or block that often produces multiples of the same image. The set of multiple images is known as an "edition," the same as in bronze casting. The image is original, but because there are multiple copies, the price is usually less than other media, such as painting. These items include, but are not limited to, etchings, woodcuts, linoleum cuts, serigraphs (screenprinting), monoprints, and collographs.
These prints should not be confused with giclee "prints" (somewhat of a misnomer), as giclees are fine art reproductions, created by printing the image from the computer. Giclees are also a great way to build a collection; however, be aware that computer printer inks can not hold up to the lightfastness that artists' prints do. Printmaking inks are created from pigments, or crushed minerals -- they will last longer than the paper they will printed on. In contrast, giclees will fade if explosed to direct sunlight because the ink is dye-based.
Below is a link to Utrecht's site about collecting prints . . . the comments are also informative!
http://www.utrechtart.com/community/index.cfm?commentID=175
