Art print vs original: what's the difference, and which should you buy?

I sell both, so I've got no reason to push you one way. Honestly, most people who buy from me end up with both eventually. But they're different things, and you should know exactly what you're paying for.

What is an original?

An original is the actual artwork the artist made. Paint on paper, canvas, wood, whatever. There is one. When it's sold, it's gone.

My originals are hand-painted on antique book pages, so every one has its own paper underneath, its own brush marks, its own drips. Even if I paint the same phrase twice, the two pieces are different, and I only sell each one once.

What is a print?

A print is a reproduction of an original. The image is captured and printed onto paper, so lots of people can have the same design on their walls. A good print keeps the colour and detail of the original, at a fraction of the price.

My prints are made from my hand-painted originals, so you still see the antique book pages and the texture under the paint. A4 prints are £20 and many designs come in A3 at £79.

The difference at a glance

How to tell them apart in person

Tilt it towards the light. Paint has texture: raised edges on letters, little ridges, a sheen where it's thick. A print is flat, even if it shows texture in the image. Look at the edges of the paper too. My originals sit on real antique book pages, sometimes with torn edges and old text showing through, which no printer can fake.

What about limited editions?

A limited edition print is a print made in a fixed number, say 50, after which no more are made. They're often numbered (12/50) and signed. They sit between a print and an original: still a reproduction, but rarer.

Be a little careful with the word "limited" online. Ask how many exist and whether the run is truly closed.

Giclée, digital, hand-embellished: the jargon

• Giclée: a high-quality inkjet print with archival inks. A good thing.
• Digital print: any print made from a digital file. Covers everything from great to awful.
• Hand-embellished: a print with some marks added by hand afterwards. Nice, but not an original.
• Signed print: a print the artist has signed. Personal, but still a print.

Which should you buy?

Buy an original if: - You want something nobody else has. - It's for a milestone: a new home, a big birthday, a wedding. - You fall in love with the specific piece, not just the design. - You want the texture and presence of real paint.

Buy a print if: - You're filling a gallery wall or a first home. - It's a gift and you want to stay around £20. - You love a design but the original has already sold. - You want the joke on your wall, and the joke is the point.

Do originals hold their value?

Sometimes, but please don't buy art as an investment unless you're a professional. Buy art because you love it. If it goes up in value, that's a bonus. If it doesn't, you've still had years of looking at something that makes you happy, which is more than you can say for most investments.

A middle way: small originals and antique images

If you want an original without original prices, my small originals start at £55, and my antique images are £25. Those are real antique art-book portraits that I've painted over by hand, so each one is a one-off. Read antique book page art for the full story, or original artwork under £200 for more options.

Still deciding?

Come to the stall. Hold a print in one hand and an original in the other and you'll feel the difference in about four seconds. I'm at Jubilee Market Hall, Covent Garden, every Saturday and Sunday. And if the original you wanted has gone, I can paint you something in the same spirit as a commission.

Print vs original questions