limited edition prints -- use in other media?

[drose]

I'm thinking of producing limited edition prints of some of my photographs. Do you think the "limitation" refers to the physical print only, or any kind of reproduction?

In other words, from an ethical standpoint, could that same image be used in other media, like websites, editorial, commercial, stock, etc.

Also, would it violate the limited nature to produce 4x6 greeting cards of the same image?

What about 8x10's, when the limited print size was 16x20? (ok, that seems obviously wrong)

Perhaps there are no definite "rules", but I'm wondering what you would expect as a consumer, if you had purchased a "limited edition print". And if there are established rules that you know of, please fill me in.

Thanks for your comments.

 

[drlynn]

I'm no professional, have never sold a photograph, so I can't give insight there.

I can say from experience that painters do this all the time. My mom loves Thomas Kinkade, for example. All of his work comes in 5 or 6 different sizes, different media, etc. The "limited edition" lithos, etc will be numbered like 125/1500 or something, but you can also buy smaller prints, coffee mugs, screensavers, etc of the same images. This does not seem to affect the value of the large canvases.

Is this relevant to photography? I'm not sure. I know there are differences between a photographic image and a painted one. Maybe someone with experience in the field can shed some light.

 

[drose]

Thanks drlynn. I didn't know painters did that - good to know.

On the other extreme, I've found a few photographers online who actually destroy the negative/slide after all limited edition prints are sold out.