ANN Petherick is holding one of her “out of gallery experiences”, as she calls her enterprises beyond Kentmere House Gallery, in an exhibition of original prints at the King's Manor, Exhibition Square, York.

On show in the Common Room, Lasting Impressions features 30 artist-printmakers in a selection of etchings, linocuts, woodcuts and screenprints, complemented by charcoal drawings.

"There are more than 60 prints, showing the diversity of printmaking techniques and the effects they can produce, and the crucial differences between these genuine prints and machine-made reproductions," says Ann.

"The price range is from under £100 to £500 and artists range from the nationally known to those at the start of their careers, providing opportunities for the latter to show in a high-calibre mixed exhibition."

Those opportunities will be extended by the regular re-hanging of the exhibition during its run until December 19 with new work and additional artists being added.

Many of the artists are members of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, including John Brunsden, who died earlier this year; Richard Bawden, son of war artist Edward Bawden; Hilary Paynter, the society's former president; H.J.Jackson; Tessa Beaver and Lisa Hooper.

"Lisa, who now lives in south west Scotland, came to printmaking entirely by accident, when the pottery class that she wanted join was full," says Ann. "Then she was made redundant from her civil service job, became a full-time printmaker and has never looked back."

Alongside these RSPP members, renowned Yorkshire printmakers in the show include Val Mager, from Beverley, and Margaret and David Morris, from Harrogate.

Explaining the term "artist’s print’", Ann says: "It's used to denote a piece of art that's not merely a copy of a painting but a work of art in its own right. Many people are unaware of the skill and painstaking dedication that goes into the making of an artist’s print. The entire process is carried out by hand, so the amount of pressure and degree of colour applied varies slightly each time, making each print subtly different.

"The size of the edition is also self-limiting, as the print block or plate wears out a little each time it's used and eventually it becomes unusable. Artist's prints can therefore be produced in editions of anything between two and 200, but seldom more."

Ann has noticed the expansion of high-street shops selling “signed limited-edition prints” and is keen to make a distinction.

"They're often by celebrity names and often sold at very high prices, but they're actually not prints at all but reproductions, being copies of paintings made by photographing or scanning the image," she says.

"This digital process is capable of producing many hundreds of thousands of copies, all identical, and despite the high prices, they are, in effect, posters."

By way of contrast, Ann sees artists’ prints as a means of encouraging more people to move on from buying mass-produced products to take the plunge into buying original art.

“According to the Arts Council, at least six million people would like to buy an original piece of art but have never done so," she says.

"Buying an artist’s print can be a stepping stone towards buying original paintings and building a collection of art to enjoy for a lifetime.

"For those who do not buy art, the issue is often not cost but confidence. Many people feel diffident about making their first purchase as, especially in the regions, there are few galleries showing high standard original work of a style which the first-time buyer can enjoy. Having access to information about the artists is vitally important, so that's why a file of the contributing artists’ details is available in the Common Room."

Exhibition opening hours are 10am to 5pm, Mondays to Saturdays. Anyone travelling a significant distance is asked to ring the KIng's Manor porters beforehand on 01904 323995 to check the room will be open.