Contract Printing

	Contract Printing Agreement-Use this form to plan your contract printing job with the participating artist. Fill it out, have both parties sign it, and discuss it with your professor. It does not need to go on your AQIP disk.
	Print Documentation Form-Use this form to document your completed project. Fill it out and include it on your AQIP disk. Save it as Print_Doc_astudent.doc.

As well as printing their own work, printmakers also frequently serve as printers for other artists. The artist/printer collaboration is a great way to hone your craft as a printer and to gain insight into other artists' approaches to creating work. Any student in Printmaking I or II may choose to complete a contract printing project instead of a Research Project. Students who choose this option must consult with the instructor prior to approaching an artist.

The following guidelines should be observed

Printer:
Contract printing should only be undertaken by Printmaking II or III students who have a history of excellent craft, attention to detail, and organization.
Artist:
Artist should be willing and able to work with the student during the time frame specified. Additionally, as the student printer is relatively new to the processes involved, the artist must be willing to accept that the finished product may have irregularities or defects that a Master Printer would not produce.

Instructions

Sign a Contract

Develop a plan for a print project that can be completed with the available resources. Art faculty, area artists, or someone from another area are all possible artist collaborators in these projects. The chosen artist does not need to know anything about printmaking to complete this project.

Use the Contract Printing Agreement form to make sure that all parties are clear about what the project will entail. Consult with the instructor to make certain the project is feasible with available resources.

Develop a calendar

Starting with your projected completion date, work backward, developing a timeline for each part of the job. Often, the difficulty in finishing these projects is with the artist, rather than the printer.

Print the edition

Make sure you have a signed B.A.T. before you print the edition. After the edition is printed, you are responsible for getting the prints signed, collated and distributed. In addition to the printst that the artist receives, one print should be given to each printer working on the project, and one to the print shop sponsoring the project. These prints may be numbered prints from the edition, or printer's proofs, or artist's proofs, but they should be of equal quality to the numbered edition, not "seconds". Inferior prints and state prints should either be destroyed or given to the artist. All signed prints must be listed on the Print Documentation Sheet.

Document

Fill out the Print Documentation Form, print it out, give one copy to the artist, keep one copy, and turn in one copy (electronically) on your AQIP disk.