Acid Free
All components of rag mat board are completely acid-free and do not contain alum or lignin. The board is buffered with calcium carbonate, resulting in a pH of 8.5 to 9.5, according to independent laboratory test results. 

Archival
A term used to describe conservation quality art and framing materials.

Artist Enhanced
A term used to describe prints to which an artist has added color or washes after the piece has been printed.

Artist's Proofs
Artist's Proofs are traditionally a quantity of prints (normally 10% of the edition) reserved for the artist and are numbered separately from the rest of the edition. They may carry extra signatures or a companion print or be the same as the main edition but are often more sought after because of their higher exclusivity.

Canvas Transfer 
A process by which the ink from a print-say, on paper-is actually lifted off the paper surface in a chemical bath and then applied to a piece of canvas. Advances in canvas printing also allows for the replication of the artist's brush stroke, further enhancing the quality of reproduction. The artist can further enhance a canvas print by doing additional work with oil or acrylic paints directly onto the canvas. Canvas transfers typically sell in the same price range as a lithograph artist proof. In many instances a canvas transfer looks and feels like an original and may require no frame Or The process of taking a poster or photograph and transferring it with an emulsion to a sheet of prepared canvas. This techniques gives the poster or photograph the illusion of being painted on canvas. (Several techniques can also be applied that can give either an aged/cracked look or simulate brushstrokes).

Conservation Framing
Methods of mounting and framing that preserve a print in original mint condition. One important aspect of conservation framing is that all material in actual contact with the print contains no chemicals that might eventually damage the paper or the inked image: these materials are usually described as "acid-free". UV protection is also considered in conservation framing.

Cotton Content
Fiber used to make the finest types of paper and mat boards because it is the purest form of natural cellulose. Cotton rag is strong, requires less processing, has a history of performance and it is an annually renewable resource, making it a better product for our planet.

Cotton Fiber (100%) 
A paper that is often used in printing fine art because of its purity and longevity.

C-print 
Color photographic print produced from a color negative.

Decorative Reproductions
Another term used interchangeably with posters, that is, artwork reproduced in unlimited quantities for decorative use. Though they are not produced as "limited", they often do go out of print since the initial run may be only 3,000-5,000. As these are sold, the artist or publisher may choose not to reprint the poster, in preference to another work by the artist to create "something new."

Finished Size 
The size of the art piece before the width of the frame is figured in.

Giclee 
A giclee (pronounced ghee-clay) is a type of digitally created fine art print that describes a technique of spraying archival ink and is created on special high resolution printer using high resolution scans. Giclee process uses top of the line ink jet Iris printers that can print millions of color at very high resolution and on various materials such as canvas, watercolor paper, linen, etc.-- as original paintings. The colors of giclee prints are very vivid and pure, and the artist has great control of accuracy to the original. Inks developed for giclee have been tested, and proven effective for about 75 years. Giclees are displayed in museums and art galleries. The substrate (underlying support material such as paper or canvas) is carefully attached to a spinning drum. Four infinitely small (much smaller than the human hair) pixels of the best archival water based organic inks are then capable of rendering an amazingly smooth and consistent image. These microscopic and digitally programmed droplets of color are sprayed into the substrate at a very high speed (3-5 million pixels per second).  While rotating at a very high speed, it accurately and consistently mirrors the original work of art. The result then is an image comprised of nearly 18-20 billion droplets of ink saturation onto the substrate without a moiré (watered silk) pattern that becomes a convincing rendering of any fine art image. Its luxurious quality makes it virtually indistinguishable from the original work. It surpasses nearly any other method of color application. It does not yellow, and will resist cracking, even when stretched. Iris Print Seal - an aerosol spray overcoat that provides an invisible crystal clear semi-matte top coat offers a smudge and moisture resistance finish, dye stabilizers, and the ultra violate light blockers. 
 

Glazing
Glass or acrylic set or made to be set in a frame that protects the artwork from light, dust and other environmental hazards. There are different levels of glazing, from  regular glass to more expensive specialty products like non glare acrylic glazing.

Hand Colored Photographs 
Black and white photographs painted over with oils, watercolors, or special pencils, which give the photograph a nostalgic look. (B/W photographs were hand colored before the advent of color photography).

Hand-enhanced
A term used to describe prints to which an artist has added color or washes after the piece has been printed.

Hand Made Paper 
This process takes advantage of the ability of plant cell fibers (cellulose) to adhere to each other when a watery pulp made from the fibers is spread on a screen called a deckle and dried. When the pulp is poured onto a deckle, the water drains away and the fibers begin to bind together. The paper layer is then passed through either a series of rollers that dry, press and smooth it, or dried individually by first being pressed together on felt sheets, and then air dried. Fine artists will often make their own paper to create unique pieces.

Honorary Copy (H/C)
Many times a publisher will designate a few prints from a limited edition to be distributed to people involved with the publishing of the edition. For example, a publisher producing a print of Jerry Rice might choose to give Jerry five prints as a "thank you". These are signed "H/C" and are limited in number as well. They will typically sell in the same price range as an artist proof.

Image size 
Sort of self explanatory, it is the size of the image not including the white border around it.

Limited Edition Art Prints
When an artist decides to print a limited edition of a piece of original art, an edition size is set and only that number of prints will be made available to the buying public. For example, if a limited edition of 780 prints were going to be made of an original, there would be 780 copies plus 78 (10% of the addition) artist proofs made and inspected. All of the rejected prints plus negatives and printing plates are then destroyed. Thus, there would be a total of 858 prints available for sale throughout the entire world for that edition! This ensures that only those prints signed and numbered by the artist will be on the market for purchase and trading on the secondary market. The prints are made on top quality paper stock, usually 100% cotton rag paper that is acid free and of archival quality and only the highest quality permanent non-fading inks are used in the printing process. This provides the purchaser with the very finest and most permanent materials which, when mounted and framed correctly, will minimize the effects of deterioration from moisture, insects, acid migration, and light over a long period of time.

Lithograph 
A planographic printing process. The printing and non-printing areas lie in the same plane. The natural antipathy between grease and water is the fundamental principle of lithography. A drawing is done on a zinc plate with grease pencils; the plate is then inked with a water-based ink which repels the grease. An indication of a lithography print is how the ink sits on the paper. It appears to be on top of the paper and has a flat, even consistency, with little variation in ink application.

Lithograph (Offset)
A process whereby a photograph is taken of an original painting. Then it is reproduced with an offset lithograph printing press which normally uses only four colors. These four colors are blended together to give the appearance of many colors. In today's high tech printing, expensive presses can get very close to the original colors in a painting within one hour after the color is approved and correct. Sports Art Etc teams up only with publishers who use acid-free paper. Given proper care (see below), a lithograph should last a lifetime. 

Why is a lithograph so much more expensive than a poster? 
Answer: The process for a poster and lithograph are similar. However, the paper used for lithographs is typically acid-free and a much higher grade of paper, while the paper used for posters is, for lack of a better word, cheap. Because the poster paper is not of museum quality, chances are fading will occur in the near future. 

Mini-Print 
A mini-print is typically a smaller version of an actual lithograph or larger print. These are generally "open editions," meaning they can be produced as many times as a publisher desires. Many publishers choose to limit the number of mini-prints produced by engraving serial numbers on the prints or by producing a limited signed and numbered edition. The typical size of a mini-print from Sports Art Etc is around 8" x 10". Many of these come double-matted with team or player colors.

Monoprints 
One of a series of prints in which each has some difference of color, design, texture, etc. applied to an underlying common image. Will have a number 1/1 in pencil on the print to indicate it is a unique piece of art.

Monotype
A one-of-a-kind print made by painting on a smooth metal, glass, plexi-glass or stone plate and then printing on paper. The pressure of printing creates a texture not possible when painting directly on paper. Will have a number 1/1 in pencil on the print to indicate it is a unique piece of art. 

Open Edition
A print produced with no predetermined limit to the number of copies that might be made. Open edition prints may or may not be signed by the artist.

Poster 
A term originally used to identify those art pieces created to advertise an event or a location. Some of the earliest examples were the posters created by Toulouse-Lautrec for the Paris dance halls. Now this term designates any art piece produced as a decorative print, often not connected to any museum showing or event, but exclusively created for the buying public.

Rag Mat
A mat whose core and backing paper are made of 100% cotton fiber. 

Rigiclee
Paper has a texture (or tooth); canvas a weave.  Rigiclee is a smooth surface, free of any pattern, which allows you to see colors, textures and details with a clarity never before possible in a fine art reproduction.  Unlike canvases, which must be stretched, and paper prints, which must be protected with glass, a Rigiclee is ready to frame and enjoy.  Nothing comes between you and your art.  Rigiclees are borderless; dimensions indicate image size. Using the same inks that revolutionized the digital printing industry, a Rigiclee is durable and fade resistant, requiring only occasional dusting with a clean, dry cloth.

Relief Printing 
Exploits the surface characteristics of almost any material. Traditionally, these particular characteristics have come from the gouging, cutting or carving out of the surface of a wood block, be it fine or coarse-grained. Recently "found" objects such as corroded metal, eroded wood and other natural surfaces, which contain disparate elements, are inked up and brought together in one work. The surface of the print can possibly have variations in surface texture. The inked areas may be raised to accommodate the large textured objects.

S/N
Shorthand for Signed and Numbered, this is the process whereby the Artist who has done the original artwork signs and numbers every print, generally in pencil lead. So if you see "500 s/n", that means 500 prints have been signed and numbered by the artist. In the case of lithographs, after an edition has been completed the presses are destroyed, making the edition limited because no more prints can be made. 

Screen Printing/ Silk Screen/Serigraphs
Prints made by squeegeeing ink through a fine mesh screen. The white areas of the image are painted with a substance which hardens and so prevents the paint from passing through. Once a screen is complete, it is placed in its frame above the piece of paper or other material to be printed. A thick layer of ink is ranged along the far edge of the screen and is drawn across by means of a squeegee, which forces it through all the open areas of the mesh. The squeegee consists of a long flexible blade, which in essence is like the windscreen wiper of a car. The blade pushes the ink into the many tiny interstices of the mesh, but at the same time wipes away any ink remaining above the mesh. The result, when the mesh is lifted, is a complete flat skin of ink on the paper, often showing a ridge where one color overlaps another. A separate screen is made for each color of ink used in the print. Although silk-screens have a flat appearance, you can tell them from lithographs by the slight layered texture each ink color builds upon the next.

Sculpture
A three dimensional work of art. Such works may be carved, molded, constructed or cast. 

The Secondary Market
When the entire edition sells out and is no longer available that prices start to rize. When this happens the piece is termed 'secondary' and basically demand will outweigh supply. It means that a secondary print will only be available from such places as private collections and become much harder to track down. This is when we really have to put the work in and we have always prided ourselves on the rare secondary market stock that we carry. Very often the print bought today at a standard price can, in time, become worth far more as a collectible piece. Of course, nobody knows which prints this will happen to and is important primarily to buy them for enjoyment but we have consistently seen work by such artists as Gerald Coulson, Robert Taylor and Nicolas Trudgian achieve far greater values than they were first bought for.

Signed and Numbered
Refers to a print from a limited edition run. Generally, all limited edition prints are numbered as a fraction with the top digit being that particular print's number and the bottom digit being the total size of the edition. The artist will generally sign in pencil at the bottom of the print as well.

Silver Gelatin Print 
Rag paper coated with silver halides suspended in a gelatin emulsion, used to produce black and white photographs.

Tight Poster 
This is the term used when no mats are going to be used in framing. It indicates that the entire poster, including all the words, will be showing.

Vignette Print 
A nicely packaged mini-print produced by JIREH Publishing, typically measuring about 10" x 13", and provided in a thick fold-out envelope which details the history behind the creation of the print. These prints can be left in the original package or framed. Paper quality is high- these prints use the same high quality paper as a lithograph-and each is numbered from the publisher.

Watercolor
Pigment in a water-soluble medium, handled as a wash. Most watercolors are quite translucent and exploit effects such as reserve highlights and the appearance of spontaneous and rapid execution.