The printed lines of an intaglio print stand in relief on the paper. Intaglio prints have platemarks. Lettering The lettering of a print refers to the information, usually given below the image, concerning the title, artist, publisher, engraver and other such data. A limited edition print is one in which a limit is placed on the number of impressions pulled in order to create a scarcity of the print. Limited editions are usually numbered and are often signed.
Limited editions are a relatively recent development, dating from the late nineteenth century.
Earlier prints were limited in the number of their impressions solely by market demand or by the maximum number that could be printed by the medium used. German printmaker Adam von Bartsch, in his 1821 Anleitung zur Kupferstichkunde, estimated the maximum number of quality impressions it was possible to pull using different print media. It was only with the development of lithography and of steel-facing of metal plates in the nineteenth century that tens of thousands of impressions could be pulled without a loss of quality. These technological developments led to the idea of making limited edition prints, by which printmakers created an appearance of rarity and individuality for multiple-impression art. Lithograph Prints taken from a drawing done from a polished limestone or zinc or aluminum plates.