Definition · 3 min read
What is a plate card?
The small printed card shipped with every aworldofart print — what it carries, why it exists, and why every fine art print should ship with one.
A plate card is a small printed card shipped with every aworldofart print, carrying the collection name, plate number, edition policy, paper specification, curator name, and date of production. It documents provenance the way a museum label documents provenance — making the print legible as part of a directed body of work rather than as a loose poster.
The plate card is the smallest deliverable in the package and one of the most important. It is the bridge between the print and the body of work it belongs to.
What it carries
- Collection name and number
- Plate number (1-12 inside the collection)
- Plate title and short curatorial note (2-3 lines)
- Edition policy (open or numbered, plus number if numbered)
- Paper specification + print size
- Studio signature line
- Date of production
- A URL back to the plate page on aworldofart.com
Why it matters
Without provenance documentation, a fine art print is functionally a poster. The plate card makes the print legible as part of an editioned body of work — to future owners, to potential resale buyers, to insurance, and to descendants. It is what separates a curated artifact from a tube of paper.