What do you mean when you say a print is an A/P, P/P or Handfinished? - Nelly Duff (2024)

What do you mean when you say a print is an A/P, P/P or Handfinished?

Ok, lets start with A/P. A/P stands for ‘Artist’s proof’ and is a small number of prints that are the first ones printed deemed good enough by the artist. Usually the number of A/Ps is about 10% of the size of the main edition, and this mini-edition can be numbered or not. The same goes for P/Ps, which stand for ‘printers proof’, which, as above, is the first few prints that the printer deems satisfactory. Usually A/Ps and P/Ps are not available for purchase until the main edition sells out, but this is not always the case across the board.

Now, onto Handfinishing…

Essentially, it means that the artist has painted/drawn on top of a print. When we publish editions at Nelly Duff we love to release a small run of handfinished prints alongside the main edition, so you have to opportunity to purchase what is really an original work for a fraction of the price of what a conventional original work would usually be. Like A/Ps or P/Ps, there is only a very small number of handfinished editions available, so they really are incredibly special. Handfinishing varies from artist to artist, whilst one might paint entirely over their print, another might add a small touch of colour, or gold leaf to their edition. Finally, it is important to remember that the value of handfinishing is not determined by the amount of paint the artist has added, but the care and thought that has gone into this incredibly exclusive micro-edition by the artists themselves.

Did you know?

At Nelly Duff we have an incredible selection of A/Ps, P/Ps and Hand-Finished artworks waiting to be discovered. Explore our limited editions by clicking on the gallery tab at the top of the page!