Why Are Reduction Linocuts Limited Editions?

If you have ever looked at an original linocut print and seen a number such as 4/20 written underneath the image, you may have wondered what it means and why the edition is limited.

With a reduction linocut, the answer comes directly from the way the print is made.

What is a limited edition linocut?

A limited edition means that only a fixed number of prints will be made from that artwork.

If an edition is limited to 20 prints, each finished print is numbered individually, for example:

1/20, 2/20, 3/20 and so on.

The first number identifies that particular print within the edition. The second tells you the total number in the edition.

Once the edition is complete, no additional prints from that edition are produced.

Why is a reduction linocut naturally limited?

A reduction linocut is made from a single lino block.

I begin by carving the block for the first colour and printing that layer across the whole edition. I then carve more of the block away before printing the next colour.

This continues through each stage of the image.

As more lino is removed, the block changes permanently. By the time the final colour has been printed, much of the original surface has been carved away.

That means I cannot return to the block later and print the complete image again.

This is sometimes called the reduction or lost-block method because each stage permanently removes part of the printing surface.

You can see the process in more detail in How a Reduction Linocut Print Is Made.

Why does the artist have to decide the edition size before printing?

Because the block is changing throughout the process, I need to prepare the full edition from the beginning.

If I decide to make an edition of 20, I print the first colour across those sheets before moving on to the next carving stage.

Once I carve away the lino for the next colour, I cannot go back and produce additional copies of the earlier stage.

The edition therefore has to be planned before the reduction process begins.

Does every print in the edition look exactly the same?

They are part of the same edition and are printed from the same block, but each sheet is printed individually by hand.

Small differences in ink coverage, pressure and texture can occur naturally during the printing process.

These variations do not make each print a different artwork, but they are part of the character of a hand-pulled original print.

Does a smaller edition make a linocut more valuable?

Edition size is one factor in the value of an original print, but it is not the only one.

A smaller edition means fewer examples of the artwork exist, but the value of a print also depends on the artist, the quality and complexity of the work, its size, the printing process and demand for that artist's work.

For me, edition size is mainly about deciding how many prints I want to make while still keeping the work limited.

Are all linocuts limited editions?

Not necessarily.

An artist using a lino block can sometimes print more impressions later if the block remains intact.

Reduction linocuts are different because the block is progressively carved away during printing.

Once the final image has been completed, the original block no longer contains all the information needed to reproduce it.

That is why reduction linocut editions are genuinely finite.

What does signed and numbered mean?

When the edition is complete, I sign, title and number each print by hand.

The edition number confirms where that particular impression sits within the total edition.

For example:

7/25

means that the print is number 7 from an edition of 25.

The number does not mean that print number 1 is better than print number 25. All prints within the edition are part of the same original artwork.

Why does this matter when buying an original linocut?

Knowing how the edition was made helps explain why an original reduction linocut is different from a reproduction.

The image has been created through the carving and printing process itself, and there is a fixed number available.

Once the edition has sold, another identical edition cannot simply be produced from the original block.

Explore original reduction linocut prints

You can browse my original reduction linocut prints here.