Noun

Singular edition

Plural editions

edition (plural editions)

1. A literary work edited and published, as by a certain editor or in a certain manner.
2. The whole number of copies of a work printed and published at one time; as, the first edition was soon sold.

Finnish

Noun

edition

1. Genitive singular form of editio.

In printmaking, an edition is a number of prints struck from one plate, usually at the same time. This is the meaning covered by this article. This may be a limited edition, with a fixed number of impressions produced on the understanding that no further impressions (copies) will be produced later, or an open edition limited only by the number that can be sold or produced before the plate wears. Most modern artists produce only limited editions, normally signed by the artist in pencil, and numbered as say 67/100 to show the unique number of that impression and the total edition size.

Original or reproduction?

An important and often confused distinction is that between editions of original prints, produced in the same medium as the artist worked (eg etching, or lithography), and reproduction prints (or paintings), which are photographic reproductions of the original work, essentially in the same category as a picture in a book or magazine, though better printed and on better paper. These may be marketed as "limited editions" with investment potential (which is rarely realized), and even signed and numbered by the artist. Some knowledge is often required to tell the difference, and the marketing by the art trade can be deceptive. See special edition for coverage of this issue in various fields.