Art and Frame Definitions
 
Acid free board - mat board that has a ph value of 7 or greater.

Alpha - an alpha-cellulose which is free of acids. A high alpha content paper should have a near neutral ph.

Artist Proof (A/P) - A proof outside the regular edition but from the same plates without changes. The artist usually reserves these prints for personal use or sale. Customarily, up to 10% of the total edition are A/P's.

Etching - A process of exposing an engraved plate(or metal plate, glass, etc.) to acid. An acid-resistant substance is applied over the plate and then selectively removed. The areas exposed to the acid are etched.

Giclee (zhee-CLAY) - A French term that means "spray of ink". A giclee can begin in several ways: By scanning an original artwork into a computer, or it can be created by the artist entirely in the computer. The finished art is then printed by an inkjet printer that sprays millions of drops per second onto a substrate, creating a continuous tone reproduction.This method gives the reproductions a painterly look.

Lithograph - A printmaking process based on the incompatibility of oil and water. An image is drawn on stone or plate with ink and is chemically treated so the image attracts in and the wet blank areas reject it. The print making surface is flat.

Limited Edition Prints - A predetermined number of prints made from a master. The number of the edition is known, and after that number is reproduced, the plate is defaced to guarantee the edition.

Mat - A heavy paper that surrounds the art, enhancing its appearance, separating the art from the glass for protection.

Museum Board - Acid free, pure rag mat board.

Offset Lithograph - A plano graphic process in which the image is transferred from a plate or stone to the rubber roller of a press and then to the paper (rather than directly from plate to paper).

Remarque - A popular technique in which the artist does a small original drawing on a limited-edition print.

Serigraph - An important printmaking method in which soft inks are squeezed through screen onto paper or other material. A separate screen is used for each color, and the area of the screen through which the ink will pass is controlled b the application of sizing or the use of hand cut stencils. A print made by this method is also called a silkscreen print.

Transfer - Method of moving an image from one surface to another.

UV Glass - Glass that blocks 97% of all Ultraviolet light from 300 to 380 nanometers.

Non Glare Glass - Glass that is single-sided, etched, non-glare. It reduces reflection from 8% to 1.9%.