The artist’s proofs
While the artist is the creator if the matrix, which is the fundamental part of the artwork in printmaking, it is not uncommon for the actual printing to be done by an editorial. However, the first few prints are made at least in the presence of the artist who can then make any necessary modifications or changes to the matrix. These prints are called the artist’s proofs. Each one is considered a unique and one-of-a-kind artwork and has a higher commercial value than the rest of the edition. Generally they make up between 5% and 10% of the total edition number. Therefore the edition may be 100 and there are 10 artists proofs totalling 110 images all together. The proofs are marked with roman numerals, for example: II/V (second of the 5 total proofs).