PRINTS ARE traditionally the cheap way into art collecting, an alternative when you can't afford oils or watercolours - though some of them are such distinguished works of art in their own right that they become expensive. A vista of what is available and collectable will be offered to the public next week when the eighth London Original Print Fair opens at the Royal Academy. It runs from 25-28 February and fills four galleries. This year, 30 dealers are exhibiting prints from Britain and abroad. The fair's artistic

standards are guaranteed by the venue and it attracts leading dealers from America, France and Germany.

Gwendolen by Augustus John (1878-1961), an etching and drypoint portrait of the artist's sister, Gwen John, who was also a major artist. He made the print around 1902 in an edition of 25. It costs pounds 5,000 from Gordon Cooke's stand

Still Life by William Scott (1913-1989), a lithograph that he made in 1949 in an edition numbering 25. It costs pounds 3,750 from Gordon Cooke's stand

(Photographs omitted)