Below are some of the answers to the the most frequently asked questions by collector's and purchasers of John's prints

      Acid free. Acid free means a neutral pH which is essentially a measurement of acidity or alkalinity. On a scale of 0 to 14 - 7 is neutral. Papers with a lower pH than 7 (such as newsprint) are considered “acidic” and will turn brown when exposed to daylight or fluorescent light which contain a high amount of ultraviolet radiation. Acid free paper is much more resistant to the damage light can inflict.

      Archival framing. When framing a fine art print it is only prudent to insist on materials that meet the standards for archival framing. All mat material, backing boards, tape or comer supports and even the paper used on the back of the frame should be acid free. It is also wise to consider UV (ultraviolet) filtering glass if the print is to be in a room that has even a small amount of indirect daylight or fluorescent light.

      Artist's Proof, or A.P. This term originates from the days of stone lithography. As the printer prepared the stone for the “run”of prints he would “pull” prints, sometimes referred to as “stages”. Each stage would be signed and numbered for the printer's records. When the artist was satisfied, the approved print, or Artist’s Proof, became the benchmark for the final run. In modern offset lithography the final stages of the proofing process are marked up and kept for record but are not suitable as artist's proofs. Today the term artist's proof is simply bowing to tradition - and market demand.

      Certificate of Authenticity. A binding document that attests to the limits of the edition and the veracity of the publisher.

      Color-fast ink. A range of printing inks used today that have been formulated for fine art printing to have much more permanence than standard printing inks. They have greater resistance to fading or shifting color. However you must still take care to not expose them to strong light or acid environments.

      Countersigned. A print signed by both the artist and a person with a connection to the image. John Mecray has had prints countersigned by Ted Turner, Halsey Herreshoff, Gary Jobson, Capt's. F.E. Bowker and George Moffett, and Olin and Rod Stephens.

      Dry Trapping. It is sometimes difficult in offset lithography to achieve the best color fidelity when printing on uncoated stock papers, which tend to absorb ink. Dry trapping is utilized to overcome this by printing one or two colors first. When that impression is dry the final colors are printed. It is a costly method used to assure the best color fidelity.

      Edition. The entire output printed of a particular image. The edition would include the remarqued prints, the artist's proofs and press proofs.

      Giclée. Pronounced "sheclay". A digital print making process where the image is printed by an array of very tiny ink jets that eject precise amounts of ink onto the printed surface attached to a rotating drum. It can take over an hour to produce just one average sized print. The hallmarks of a Giclée are rich and vibrant colors which can be applied to fine watercolor paper or art canvas - surfaces that are virtually impossible to utilize in traditional offset lithography. The state-of-the-art Giclée process, utilizing archival inks, is rated at well over 90 years for permanence.

      Lithograph. Today, the term lithograph is commonly used to describe prints produced by the offset lithography method where sensitized plates for the four, or more, colors make an inked impression on a rubber-blanketed cylinder, which transfers the image to the paper. The term lithograph originally referred to images “pulled” from a prepared and inked stone, a technique used widely in the past.

      Low inventory. This publisher lists an edition as being in low inventory when there are 35 left in stock.

      Open Edition. Signed or unsigned an open edition is not numbered and can therefore be reprinted ad infinitum.

      Press or Printer's Proof, or P.P. Like A.P.'s the printer's proof has a long tradition. This publisher does not make P.P.'s available to the public. Some go to the printer as samples and some to non-commercial or non-profit entities.

      Remarque. A tradition that started with stone lithography. A remarque is a pencil sketch by the artist, usually in the lower margin, relating to the recipient or to the subject of the print. It became a popular way to add original art, and value, to the printed image.

      Secondary Market. This term is used for prints that come on the market after the edition is no longer available from the publisher and the distributor.. The secondary market price is assigned by the distributor as a guide to dealers who have the opportunity to buy back and/or sell a print that is sold out.

      Sold Out. This publisher lists an edition as sold out when both the publisher and the distributor have no prints left in inventory. It is possible that a dealer may still have a print in stock when it is listed as sold out.