Screen Print Posters

pjroo33

I have a question about the screen print process for tour posters. Are the posters actually screen printed by the artist or does the artist outsource the print process to an outside company? With the volume of posters that are being produced for recent concerts, I can't imagine the artist is laying his hands on every print. I would think the older posters with low runs would have been printed by the actual artist. Has this ever been discussed? Just curious.

greed

Quick answer is that it depends on the artist. Some outsource the screen printing and others do them in house, regardless of run size.

HesCalledDyer

A buddy of mine used to work at a design firm in Pittsburgh and his company printed the Mr. Downtown posters for the '98 show.

Uncle Snuffy

At the bottom of some posters from the 90's it actually indicates who printed them.

- Uncle Snuffy

pjroo33

Do the artists themselves do the A/P prints or is that done by a third party as well?

deadendp

Since A/P stands for "artist proof" I would have to say that they do. At least that is what we were taught in printmaking in college.

bosshogg18

A lot of times the printing company is listed on the print. Seribellum Press comes to mind.

HesCalledDyer

deadendp said:

Since A/P stands for "artist proof" I would have to say that they do. At least that is what we were taught in printmaking in college.

In theory, that is absolutely correct. Although I think in the gig poster world, they use the term loosely. Steve Thomas, for instance, just received all his Fenway AP's from the press. He did not print them himself.