From the Bertarelli Declaration about the Original Engraving of May 5th, 1994:

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This Declaration has been written considering what was affirmed in Comité National de la Gravure in Paris in 1937, in the III°  International  Conference of Plastic Art  in Vienna in 1960, in Print Council of America in New York in 1961 e in Comité National de la Gravure in Paris in 1964. 

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The requirements for an "original" engraving are:

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• Engraving: "A picture drawn  on a hard surface, whether through a pointed instrument  or chemically through corrosive substances" (Devoto-Oli). The die must be engraved by hand by the artist.

• By hand: The print must be done by a hand press.

• Signed and numbered: Every engraved work must be signed and numbered (numerator and denominator) by the artist,  with a pencil and on every sheet.

• Limited edition:  For technical reasons and for its value, the edition  must never overcome a limited number of engravings.

• Numbered proof: Also every  print proof must be numbered.

• Staked out slab: When the edition is concluded the die must be staked out (slashed) in order to avoid further editions. 

• Written guarantees:  Every engranving must have the editor's blank stamp and must be accompanied with its guarantee certificate which ceritifies the engraving's originality, the technique, the artist, and the staked out slab.