Canvas Printing

Posted by nabeelshaukat on November 30th, 2010

Canvas printing involves transferring a digital image onto canvas. The canvas can then be stretched or gallery wrapped onto a frame and displayed. A canvas print can also be referred to as canvas art or stretched canvas.

Generally, the canvas printing material is made from cotton. The alternative of cotton canvas is plastic based poly canvas, which is a cheaper alternative to cotton canvas. Canvas printing is associated with inkjet printing process often known as Giclée. Victory Printing makes their canvas prints on quality cotton canvas with pigment inks. They use high end Japanese MUTOH printers.

The qualities of a good stretched canvas include; a satin matte laminate, water & UV light resistance, a sturdy frame and attachments to hang onto a wall. Canvas prints with these attributes can last for a long time. Many printers claim that through their high quality canvas printings, prints will last for over 75 years.

A canvas print can be either stretched or unstretched. Victory Printing sells their canvas prints in either form. The benefit of stretched canvas is that you do not have to wrap it yourself on the frame. If you choose to buy an unstretched canvas print, you can get it professionally stretched through a frame maker, or stretch it yourself [provided you have the correct tools]. A benefit of purchasing unwrapped canvas is that it is easier to ship larger sizes, and also reduces freight costs [insurance + shipping cost].

Stretched canvas prints can be put onto one frame, or separated over multiple panels. These are briefly discussed below:

• Single panel stretched canvas is the most common type of stretched canvas. It involves printing an image onto canvas and then wrapping it around a frame. The image will be shown both on the front and edges of the frame, giving it a unique 3-D appearance.
• Multiple panel stretched canvas involves splitting an image into several pieces. It is then wrapped onto individual frames [two or more]. These panels are then hung onto a wall at the same height, with even spacing between them.

A good quality canvas print has a smooth finish. It will also have a laminate finish. Low quality, cheaper canvas prints usually have pixilation and poor definition. The canvas from Victory Printing has a satin matte laminate.

Many printers offer services such as color changes and cropping of an image. They usually charge an additional fee to make such changes. Victory Printing includes free cropping with their flat rate service.

Modern large format printers are capable of canvas printing. They can print on canvas rolls measuring 60 inches or more. Printers, such as HP Designjet z6100 and the Mutoh Valuejet 1618 are capable of printing directly on canvas media. The desired canvas weight is approximately 400gsm.