Frequently Asked Questions

Will my prints retain their quality?

Yes! All 50ty/50ty prints are archival – printed on 100% acid-free paper, which means they will most likely outlive you.

What is an ‘original print’?

This means that the image was conceived solely as a print, i.e. it is not a reproduction of a work made in another medium.

How do I know I’m getting an original?

Each print is blind stamped with the 50ty/50ty chop (signature stamp) and numbered by hand in pencil in the bottom lefthand corner.

How many prints are in each edition?

All 50ty/50ty artworks are limited editions of 50 prints. The numbering convention displays as 1/50 for the first print, 2/50 for the second, and so on. All prints in the edition are identical, so the first is not more valuable than the 50th, for example.

How should I frame or display my prints?

The best way to care for your print is to have it framed. A good quality frame will prevent damage, while showing off your artwork to maximum effect. We suggest ‘floating’ your print rather than using a mounting board frame, as this allows for the natural expansion and contraction of the paper due to changes in temperature and humidity. (Cotton paper responds to differing levels of humidity in the air – sometimes it will hang flat and other times it will warp slightly.)

If you’d like any further advice about framing, or perhaps the contact details of our favourite framers, please send us an email.

My prints aren’t perfectly flat, should I try to flatten them?

To keep shipping costs low, prints are shipped in tubes, but a day or two under some heavy books will get them nice and flat. Alternatively, ask your framer to flatten your prints for you before framing.

 Is it safe to pay with my credit card?

Yes. All transactions are made via Payfast – a secure payment method protected by internationally approved firewalls. Your credit card details are kept entirely confidential.

Which currency is used?

Payments are processed in South African Rands (ZAR).

Do you ship internationally?

Yes, anywhere. Just click on the shipping calculator in the shopping cart to determine the cost.

What is a screen print?

Imagine screen printing as an advanced kind of stencil printing: An image is separated into different stencils for each of its colours, and these separated colour ‘stencils’ are then printed precisely on top of each other to produce a composite image. A fine-meshed screen (in ancient times made of silk) is used, with negative spaces masked off. Ink is then pushed through the screen, producing colour at unmasked points of the design.

‘Hand-pulled’ screen printing means that each layer is hand printed by a human being, and not by machines common in commercial print runs. Because each screen print is executed individually, each print is unique and may contain tiny variations.

(Watch us at work here)

Where does screen printing come from?

Screen printing was made famous by the pop artists of the 1960s and 70s (most notably Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein), who adopted a commercial process commonly used for printing fabrics, with the intention of blurring the line between high art and art as a commodity.

Screen printing was, however, in existence in different forms more than 2000 years ago. Earlier forms of the art involved cut stencils or paint on screens to mask areas to create negative space. With the invention of photography and the development of light sensitive emulsions, it became possible to use a photographic method to mask screens, enabling a fine level of detail.