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Guys....let's "bootleg" the lithos.


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Now hear me out...

Back when this idea was floating around in the several other litho threads, I was against it.   But today I've just got lithos on my mind.

The proposal came up to go to a decent printer type place and scan an original and make 1:1 copies, with the understanding that these are for personal use only, and not for profit and certainly not to put on ebay to scam some poor sucker.  They should have "REPRODUCTION - NOT FOR SALE" very clearly written along the bottom.

I have no problem with it ethically.  But the idea of paying a significant amount for a copy (I don't know...$30-50?) rubbed me the wrong way.  It's a copy!  It should be dirt cheap right?  But if you want it to look decent and not a pixelated, muddy colored mess, it's gonna cost money.

When I was a kid I saw an original Revenge of the Jedi one sheet at a local comic book store.  I can't remember what they wanted for it, but it was expensive.  And this was back in the late 80s!  It's only MORE expensive now!  It bummed me out knowing I would never have that poster on my wall.

Then, in 2013, I bought a reproduction on ebay for $20.   It's gorgeous.  I don't care that it's not the "real" thing...most of the real ones have creases from being folded anyway.  Mine is beautiful and hanging on my wall now.

I want the Cinci and Kobe lithos on my wall too.  I don't care if they're fakes.  I just think those images are cool as shit.  It's funny cause I don't think either of those shows were anything special or noteworthy, other than Kobe being in a small venue; but now those shows are "legendary" cause they have the best posters.   So far.  (I take it back....I didn't realize Cinci was the first show Adler popped up at so it is indeed noteworthy.)

So what do we say mygnr?  Should we attempt to start a bootleg liitho ring, strictly for our own decorative purposes?

Edited by estrangedtwat
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As a graphic designer, it's nice that you don't have ethical problems with this, but I do. 

I can understand why you'd think that a print of a piece of artwork shouldn't be costly. But lets assume that the designer spent one week on one design. Perhaps they charge their time at £200 a day. They'd want to sell the original work at £1000, or make copies of it. High-quality printing isn't cheap. I've had my work litho printed before. On scale, I could probably purchase these prints from a lithographer for £20 each, if we're going for quality paper and packaging. So That's an extra expense. 

Let's say 1000 are printed. That's now a cost of £21,000 which the artist needs to take to make a profit. I don't know how much the GN'R lithos are selling for, but there is a risk that not all of them will sell. 

And there's a greater risk when someone on an internet forum thinks it will be a great idea to Xerox them. 

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The designers were paid for their work and all of the lithographs sold out.

If I buy one on ebay for a few hundred bucks, how does that benefit the designer OR the band?

If a fan makes a copy that is just for the personal use of another fan, and is reimbursed just for the cost of the copy, who is profiting?

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26 minutes ago, estrangedtwat said:

The designers were paid for their work and all of the lithographs sold out.

If I buy one on ebay for a few hundred bucks, how does that benefit the designer OR the band?

If a fan makes a copy that is just for the personal use of another fan, and is reimbursed just for the cost of the copy, who is profiting?

You'd still be breaking copyright laws. The designer/record company will always have the IP to the design. Different countries will have varying laws on this, but in the UK, I believe that for artwork, you are allowed to create one digital copy for personal study/research and not to share that with anyone else. 

Now you know the moral and legal implications of this.

The risk is that the one person who owns an original print will take liberties and stick them on ebay for a profit. 

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