At 20x200 we take our art seriously. Even before we opened our doors, many of the longest planning discussions were about the integrity of our editions: How do we guarantee museum-quality prints? How do we assure fidelity between the artist's proofs and the images on your screen? How do we guarantee authenticity? Etc...

We have, I think, come up with best-in-class solutions to all these questions. But of course while we attempt perfection, sometimes (very occasionally!) a print slips through the cracks and arrives bent in the mail, with a stray spot of ink, or has gotten rained upon. In at least one case, a mailman pushed our package through a mail slot into the mouth of an art-loving English bulldog named Alfred.

We hate it when our prints arrive less than perfect, but at the same time, can't just blindly issue new prints because we have to protect the editions' integrity. If an edition has 20 prints, there can't be 21 prints. We solve this problem by asking our collectors to destroy—that's right, destroy—flawed prints, then send us photographic evidence of the imperfections on the artwork when it arrived. This might seem like an extreme step but we also believe it's the right thing to do before we can send you a replacement. And while it's a hassle to document the print's destruction, many collectors end up thanking us because it shows our respect for the art.

When sending back their photographs of destroyed prints, our collectors often respond with great humor and little glimpses into their own lives. So without further ado we present the real reason for this post, an excuse to present a gallery of 20x200 print destruction:

death2vader from christian baujard on Vimeo.

While all our images go through a meticulous proofing process, mistakes do happen. Back in 2008, we released an image, then a sharp-eyed collector noticed a white speck on our print that did not match that image in a book by the same artist. It turned out to be a flaw and the entire edition had to be replaced. While this meant bringing the attention of the mistake to some of our unknowing customers—we knew we had to replace the print, to know that perfectly printed versions were in our collectors' hands. Our customers showed their sense of humor about the incident in the prints they sent back.

As we say in our FAQ, when you receive your prints, please inspect them carefully. We want them to be absolutely perfect, and not a speck less!