• Following are the main features and links to current print exchanges/projects organized by various groups.
• If you are new to print exchanges, read the Print Exchange Guide first. There is a Guide for Printmakers and a Guide for Coordinators to make life easier on everyone.
• If you are a printmaker and want to exchange prints with other printmakers, browse below, go to the appropriate web site and start printing! Please note that in many cases you will have to join the sponsoring group in order to participate.
• Exchanges will be listed until after the deadline. If you or someone you know are sponsoring an exchange, please send me an email with the info.
• General Guidelines for exchange participants and coordinators (GENERAL guidelines, these do not pertain specifically to any of the exchanges listed below).
• Print Exchange Guide for Printmakers
• Recommendations for Coordinators

The main problems with coordinating an exchange stem from participants not reading the rules and not following the instructions. Make it easy on everyone and:

• Read ALL the rules of the exchange so that you know what to expect.
• Follow ALL instructions, they are not suggestions and are meant to keep the exchange fun and feasible for everyone.
• IMPORTANT: Print out or bookmark the information page and keep it handy to avoid the same questions being posted again and again.

• E-mail the coordinator if you have questions or concerns about the exchange.
• Be sure to observe the exact paper size limits since many of the participants will be ordering presentation cases for their prints.
• Please plan in advanced so that you mail your dried and completed prints prior to the deadline. If you include protecting sheets between your prints, be sure that they are slightly smaller than the print and no thicker than standard glassine or tissue.
• Should something come up and you believe you will be unable to complete the exchange, cancel well in advance of the deadline, to allow a substitute to take your place. Remember, everyone is making XX prints, many participants begin early. Your commitment is not just to the coordinator, but to XX fellow artists.
• Mail prints in a re-usable sturdy box or envelope, with sufficient packing to avoid damaging the prints. If you ordered a presentation case, remember to send a box large enough to accommodate the case.
• Include with your mailing:

2. Sufficient postage, a check for sufficient postage, or a pre-paid air-bill (see approximate rates below)

To Coordinator

Coordinating an exchange is hard work!
A colophon with print and artist information is a very nice touch, even in its most rudimentary form. A presentation case for those who want to pay for one is also a very classy way of presenting prints back to participants. Fees for the exchange should be set to include these items. You will need to sharpen up your organization and communication skills in order to make this exchange a success for everyone.

Expect to spend about 5-9 hours opening, collating and re-packing prints, depending on how fast you work and whether you have help or not. You may also have to make some trips to the post office to pick up prints sent insured or certified, and another 1-2 hours mailing back the collated sets.

Following are the basics of coordinating the exchange. You will probably find your own ways of doing things-whatever works!

Communication With Exchange Participants

This is crucial to knowing who's where and what's missing! Here are the initial steps:

• •A list of names and e-mail addresses of participants should be compiled. An ongoing discussion group or announcement list is a great idea to keep everyone informed. Yahoogroups or Topica are the easiest.
• •The coordinator should copy that list onto their e-mail program in order to easily send a message to all Exchange participants. A hard copy (printout) of the names and e-mail addresses should also be kept in a folder. This folder can also contain correspondence from the members, addresses, late notices, etc., as these items arrive.
• •At the launch of the Exchange, a message should be sent to all participants welcoming them to the exchange, reminding them of the deadline, and offering help to anyone who has questions about the format or theme, if any. It may be a good idea to e-mail them or post the Information For Exchange Participants (above).
• •Throughout the time period, friendly reminders of the approaching deadline should be sent to participants at various intervals. Usually once per month is enough until the weeks before the deadline. This will gear up anyone who still intends to participate but has not yet started their prints. It is best to communicate directly with exchange participants or through the mailing list..
• •If anyone should drop during the first month, an announcement should be posted that there is an opening for the exchange. Usually someone will take the empty spot.
• •Participants should be reminded at some point to send return postage or any other arrangement (I have taken an additional print as payment and glad I did!). You may also ask participants to pre-print a label with their name and address.

• •Shipping within the U.S. is approximately:
$3.50 standard priority mail United States Postal Service

$5.50 USPS insured

$5.95 USPS certified

$10.00 Federal Express 2-3 day

$11.00 UPS 2-3 day

Outside the U.S.:

$17-20 USPS Air

$11.50 USPS Ground or Non-air

$60.00 Federal Express or UPS (!)

• •Prints will start arriving as early as a month before the deadline (and almost a month after, to the coordinator's dismay!). Organization is crucial at this point because the coordinator has to keep track of who has already sent prints and/or money for return shipping (may or may not come together), what type of carrier and mail preferences (insured, certified, etc.), and notices of "the prints are in the mail."
• •Although not necessary, a great organization tool is a spreadsheet with all the above information. It can be done as simply as a checklist on a piece of paper, or as complex as a database or spreadsheet on the computer. The advantage of the latter is that names can be alphabetized, labels for return shipping can be generated, etc.
• •A sample:

• •As packages arrive, it is good practice to e-mail that participant and let them know. Then the information can be collected in the list above. This takes a few seconds and will make life much easier when the collating and mailing back begins.
• •It is also useful to keep the packages themselves in alphabetical order by artist's last name, to avoid having to order them later.
• •Opening the packages as they arrive also prevents having the huge task of opening all of them at once. Inside there will be air-bills, pre-paid air-bills, stamps, checks, money orders, or cash. Some participants will also send pre-printed labels, which make the coordinator's life much easier later on. Note any special instructions and leave all the packaging and return information inside the packages. This way nothing gets lost.

• •Prints should be in alphabetical order to match a colophon. It is up to the coordinator/organizer to print out and send a completed colophon with information on all the participants and prints.
• •You will need a large counter top, tables, or other clean surface to spread out the print stacks and collate them into piles of prints.
• •It is a good idea to check the print edition numbers as you pick them up to assure that you are not picking up two prints from one stack. Soon you will have xx stacks of collated prints.

• If you alphabetized boxes too, now all you need to do is put the prints back in the right box, re-tape and stack ready for mailing.
• Add packing material if needed, also replace bags or boxes if worn. Padded envelopes are cheap and the prints will not be damaged.
• Be sure that all the packages are properly labeled with your return address and the complete address of the recipient. Include country if shipping outside the U.S. Also, get some custom's declaration stickers from the post office and fill them out before hand.
• Arm yourself with patience and try to hit the post office and FedEx offices when they are not busy!
• If you are missing money from someone, e-mail the culprit privately and tell them politely how much it cost to send their package. Don't forget to thank them in advance.

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