How to Tell a Print from an Original Painting

Many pictures that look like paintings are actually reproductions, and some are made specifically to fool the eye. This guide is for buyers at estate sales and auctions, and for anyone sorting family art, who want a simple, careful way to tell an original painting from a print.

Gather a few simple tools

• A magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe (around 10x works well).
• A flashlight you can hold at a low angle.
• Your phone camera for close-up photos.

Examine the piece in good light, and handle it by the frame, not the surface.

Look at the surface texture

Shine your light across the surface at a low angle. An original oil or acrylic painting usually shows real texture: brushstrokes, ridges of paint, varied thickness and areas where the canvas weave shows through differently. The texture should follow the image, so a brushstroke edge lines up with a change in color.

A flat, even surface with no relief suggests a print. Be aware that some reproductions have clear gel or varnish brushed on top to imitate strokes. In those cases, the raised texture does not match the colors underneath, or it looks like a uniform pattern across the whole picture.

Check under magnification

Look closely at an area where colors change. Many commercial reproductions made by offset printing show a regular pattern of tiny dots, often in a rosette arrangement. An original painting shows irregular, blended or layered paint with no dot pattern.

Inkjet prints, often called giclée prints, may not show an obvious dot grid, but under magnification the color usually looks like a fine, even spray of tiny droplets sitting on the surface rather than layered paint.

Examine the edges and back

• On canvas, look at the sides. Paint often wraps around or stops unevenly on an original. A printed image may end abruptly or show a white border.
• Look at the back of the canvas. Paint may have soaked through in spots on an original, while a print on canvas usually has a clean back.
• Check whether the image is printed on paper and then mounted onto board or canvas, a common technique for decorative reproductions.
• Look for printer's information, copyright lines or publisher names along the margins.

Consider fine art prints separately

Not every print is a cheap reproduction. Artists make original prints such as etchings, lithographs, woodcuts and screenprints, which can be valuable. These are often hand-signed and numbered in pencil in the margin. An etching may show a plate mark, a pressed rectangle in the paper around the image. A woodcut may show slight embossing from the block. If you think you have an artist's print rather than a reproduction, have it looked at by someone who handles works on paper.

Look at the signature

Check whether the signature has texture and sits in paint like the rest of the picture, or whether it is perfectly flat and part of the printed image. A printed signature is a strong sign of a reproduction. A pencil signature in the margin points toward a print that the artist signed.

Watch for hand-embellished prints

Some reproductions have a few strokes of real paint added by hand, then are sold as "hand-embellished" or "hand-finished." The added strokes give real texture in spots, while the rest of the picture is flat and may show a dot pattern. Examine several different areas, not just the most textured one.

When to get a professional opinion

If your checks are mixed or you believe the piece could be valuable, show it to an appraiser, a reputable auction house or a museum's public identification program. Do not clean, varnish or remove the work from its frame to investigate further; that can damage an original.

Quick checklist

• Use raking light to look for real brushstroke texture.
• Check under magnification for dot patterns.
• Inspect edges and the back of the canvas or paper.
• Look for plate marks and pencil signatures on fine art prints.
• Check several areas for hand embellishment.
• Get expert help before cleaning or reframing anything.