How I Document Every Screenprint I Make

I keep a ledger for every edition I make. Black hardback notebook. Nothing fancy. Edition title, paper stock, ink colours, date pulled, how many in the run.

It sits on the drying rack shelf. I fill it in while the last layer dries.

Why Documentation Matters Now

The UK print market has shifted. Collectors ask questions they didn't ten years ago. Where was it printed. What paper. Can you prove the edition size.

Fair questions. A hand-pulled screenprint costs real money. People want to know what they're buying.

I learned this the hard way in 2009. A collector contacted me about a print I'd made six years earlier. She wanted to sell it. Needed edition details. I had nothing written down.

I remembered the image. Couldn't recall the paper weight. Couldn't confirm if I'd made 50 or 75. That's embarrassing. Unprofessional.

Now I document everything before I sign anything.

What I Record for Each Edition

My ledger entries cover these details:

• Edition title and year
• Total edition size including artist's proofs
• Paper manufacturer and weight in gsm
• Screen mesh count I used
• Ink brands and specific colours by name
• Number of layers and print sequence
• Date I started pulling and date I finished

Takes five minutes. Saves hours later when someone emails asking about a print from 2018.

How I Sign and Number

I sign in pencil. Always have. Bottom left corner gets the edition number. Centre gets the title. Bottom right gets my signature and year.

I number as I pull. If I'm making an edition of 40, I write the numbers on scrap paper first. Lay them beside the drying prints. Match them up before I sign.

Artist's proofs get marked AP with a number if I'm keeping more than one. I usually make three. One for my archive. One to exhibit. One to live with for a month before I decide if the edition worked.

I never remake an edition. Once I sign number 40, that image is done. If I want to revisit the concept, I change something significant. Different colour. Different scale. Different paper texture.

Certificates I Give to Collectors

Every print that leaves here comes with a simple certificate. A5 card. My studio details at the top. Print details in the middle. My signature at the bottom.

I include the paper stock information collectors actually need. Not marketing language. Somerset Satin 300gsm. Five-layer process. Water-based inks. Edition of 40 plus three APs.

Some artists use the Fine Art Trade Guild's ArtSure system. That's designed more for giclée work. My prints don't need a registry number. They need clarity about what I made and when.

I photograph each print before it ships. Keep those images in dated folders on an external drive backed up twice. If someone needs proof of what number 23 looked like, I can show them.

Keeping Studio Records

My studio filing system is boring and effective. One folder per year. Inside that, one sheet per edition with the ledger information typed up. Notes about any printing problems. Which prints got rejected. Why.

Sometimes a layer doesn't seat properly. Ink bleeds where it shouldn't. Those prints don't get numbered. They get marked as printer's waste. I cut the corner off so they can't enter circulation later.

Sounds harsh. It protects the edition. Collectors who buy number 12 need to trust that numbers 1 through 40 all meet the same standard.

What Happens When Collectors Resell

I don't track secondary sales. That's not my job. But I do confirm authenticity if someone asks.

Gallery contacts me. Sends a photo. I check my records. If it matches an edition I made, I confirm the details. If something looks wrong, I say so.

Had one case where someone was selling a print they claimed I'd made in 2015. I checked. Made no editions that year. Took six months off for family reasons. I told the gallery. Print disappeared from their website within a day.

Most inquiries are straightforward. Collector inherited a print. Wants to know the edition size. I look it up. Send them the information. No charge. It's part of the work.

Digital Records for Future Proof

The paper ledger is my primary record. But I also keep a spreadsheet. Same information. Updated monthly.

If something happens to the studio, that spreadsheet is backed up in three locations. The work I've done over 26 years deserves that basic security.

I've watched printmakers lose decades of documentation in studio fires. Water damage. Divorces where paperwork got thrown out. Digital backup costs nothing except time.

Trust Through Transparency

Good documentation isn't about bureaucracy. It's about respect. Collectors are investing in your work. They deserve accurate information.

I can tell you exactly how many prints I've made. Which ones are still in circulation. Which ones I bought back. Which editions sold out and which ones have five prints left.

That's not impressive. It's basic professional practice. But it's practice many makers skip when they're starting out.

Set up your system before you need it. Make it simple enough that you'll actually use it. Keep your records current.

When someone contacts you in 2042 asking about a print you made today, you'll be able to help them. That's the point.

If you'd like to see the prints I'm currently making, visit olifowler.com. Every edition is strictly limited and hand-pulled. Once they're gone, they're gone.