A series of multiple identical copies a work of art is called an edition. For a limited edition, the artist typically signs and numbers each object. The idea of producing editions of artworks to sell on the commercial market dates back centuries. The invention of printmaking in the fifteenth century allowed, for the first time, images to be widely dispersed, leading to the creation of an increasingly visual culture. Today, artists create multiples for similar reasons: so their artworks may be broadly circulated, and so they may sell numerous versions of a single work. Multiples also benefit the art collector, as they are often less expensive to purchase than a unique work of art.

Multiples may be either two- or three-dimensional. Multiples that are two-dimensional are typically prints or photographs. In both cases, the idea of having more than one work of art was built into the medium from the beginning. Nearly all types of printmaking—including intaglio, relief, lithography, and silkscreen—employ a reusable matrix. The matrix refers to the object or surface on which the image is formed, and may be a copper plate, block of wood, mesh screen, among other objects. In the case of photography, an artist may use a digital image or a negative to make more than one print of a single photograph. This applies to both digital prints as well as chemical processes like silver gelatin prints, chromogenic prints, or Cibachrome prints.

Multiple copies of three-dimensional art objects may be produced through a variety of methods. In the eighteenth century, an artist invented the pointing machine, which allowed artists to copy a sculptural composition from, for example, a terracotta maquette to a final work in marble. Casting sculptures out of bronze, plaster, or resin by using a mold also proved useful in the manufacture of multiples. Today, 3D printers provide another way to make multiples, and are employed by artists like Joris Laarman, Lorna Bradshaw, and Josh Kline.