Limited-edition prints aren't knockoffs — they're original works, of which only a finite number are produced. Note: Real Simple anonymously ordered pieces of art from all the sites featured in this article (including the works shown on the following pages, most of which are no longer for sale) to ensure ease of use and reliability of service.

Art of the Print

www.artoftheprint.com
Site Founded: 2000 (gallery opened in 1986).
The Art: This Canadian site spans genres from maps to botanical drawings to satire to circus art. More than 3,000 works are listed, with multiple pieces by single artists (such as a series of 17th-century maps by English cartographer John Seller, priced at $79 each) — good if you're shopping for pairs or groupings.
Price Range: $50 to $9,000 (most between $200 and $1,000).
Return Policy: Seven days.
The Site: Search by period, medium, country, genre, or printmaking technique (aquatint, mezzotint, etc.). Unfortunately, for a site so large, there's no search-by-price option. Orders must be placed by phone or e-mail.

Limited-Edition Graphics

www.wolman-prints.com
Site Founded: 1997.
The Art: Longtime London dealer Allan Wolman sells a consistently tasteful selection of limited-edition prints by several hundred artists, from lesser-known names to Kandinsky, Dufy, and Magritte.
Price Range: $100 to $25,000 (most between $500 and $5,000).
Return Policy: It's a bit vague — "within a reasonable period of about a week." Be sure to discuss up front any intention to "just try it out" against your periwinkle walls.
The Site: Search by artist, new acquisitions, or "art under $180." Orders must be placed by e-mail in a two-stage process. The good news: Wolman himself will answer your questions practically as fast as you can hit "send."

Pace Prints

www.paceprints.com
Site Founded: 1998 (gallery opened in 1967).
The Art: Devoted modernists only. The established artists on this site — the Web arm of the prestigious New York City gallery of the same name — include Jean Dubuffet, Saul Steinberg, and Helen Frankenthaler. Many sell exclusively through Pace.
Price Range: $1,000 to—gulp!—$35,000 or more.
Return Policy: Seven days.
The Site: It's simple to use and very informative, with artist biographies and a six-part tutorial on understanding and collecting the medium (click on "Print Shop").

Shown: Elevator II, by William Steiger, 21 1/2 by 18 1/4 inches, $1,000, from Pace Prints.