The popularity of your photo to canvas prints has grown considerably over the last couple of years and with is so have the number of companies selling your photo to canvas products. So how do you choose which company to use? Is price the main factor or should you be looking for the details?

Types of Canvas

The weight and type of canvas is important, a company that uses a top of the range canvas will state which make of canvas they use, otherwise it could be a cheap import. Too many companies say they use 100% cotton canvas as it is better than a poly cotton blend well in some cases this is true but a high-quality poly cotton blend is better than a cheap 100% cotton canvas, the same as a high quality 100% cotton canvas is better than a cheap poly cotton canvas. A 100% cotton canvas has a more authentic canvas look which is given by the less uniformed rougher weave, which in my opinion is better for artwork and painting reproductions. A poly cotton blend has a more uniformed look to it so suits photographs more than a 100% cotton canvas. The canvas also needs to have a good weight, I wouldn’t recommend anything below 350gsm as a heavier canvas can be stretched tighter and so will not sag with time, some canvases can be as thin as paper from your printer at home so beware.

Inks

The basic rule is that if the inks used are not pigment inks you should not be buying it. The most popular printers used by canvas printers are the Epson printers and use genuine Epson Ultrachrome inks which are all pigment inks and in my opinion the best around.

Wood frame or stretcher bars?

The main thing to look for regarding the frame is the type of wood used. As wood is a porous material it is susceptible to water in the atmosphere, and can warp over time due to expanding and shrinking with water absorption. The wood needs to be kiln dried as it will not warp over time. The main advantage for using stretcher bars is that they have a shaped edge at the front so that the canvas is not resting on the frame at the front, normal square frames have the canvas resting on them and over time you may find you can see where the frame edge ends.

Is it laminated?

If it is a quality print then it will keep it’s colour for years even in direct sunlight so it does not need laminating for this reason, although lamination will increase it’s life. The main reason a print needs laminating is to protect it from scratches and chips, and also to ensure it can be cleaned with a damp cloth. Laminating will double the life of your canvas ensuring that it can be moved around without risk of cracking or chipping.

I hope this has helped you to know what to look for when buying a your photo to canvas print.

By: JS Fox

Anniversary And Wedding Photographs

Choosing the right photograph means finding one that you and your partner both like. Your main wedding photo may be a good place to start but any photograph of the two of you together or of the whole family will not only make a well received anniversary gift but will look incredible once its hanging from the wall. Used as home décor items and as personal treats, the photo canvas print makes a superb personalised anniversary gift for her or for him. Even if you’re buying the happy couple, a canvas print is ideal.

The Right Crop

Opting for the right photograph means finding one that has the right crop as well but because Bags of Love can customise the canvas to match your requirements you can have any photograph converted and enlarged to make a photo canvas print. Standard sizes go up to 1 metre in length but Bags of Love will cater to virtually any other size requirements including extra large canvas prints.

Photo Montages From Bags Of Love

Another good way to turn a canvas print into a personalised anniversary gift is through the addition of a photo montage. You can create your own montage or have us do it for you and then have this printed onto the same high quality canvas. You could display six of your favourite wedding photographs or twelve photographs of your ten years together; the greatest thing about personalised anniversary gifts like the photo canvas print is that it’s you that gets to personalise them according to your own preferences and those of your partner.

Photo-Canvas can convert your photographs into Canvas art using your photograph exactly as provided or converting it into pop art or black and white before printing onto a high quality Stretched Photo Canvas.

By: Sarah Maria Williams

If you’re an artist, I’m sure you’re constantly looking for a new, innovative idea which will help your work stand out from the competition. Whether you’re a painter or photographer, one easy way to get a leg-up on the competition is by utilizing canvas prints.

For photographers, the benefits of printing photos on canvas are numerous. Canvas prints last longer than normal photo prints, are more durable, and are priced similar to the higher-quality photo printing and framing services you likely utilize to display your works. But most importantly, canvas prints are unique and eye-catching.

Every photographer displays their work on normal printing surfaces in a frame. It’s the common way to display works, and for most of the 20th century it worked just fine. Now, however, with digital cameras making everyone a self-proclaimed professional photographer it’s important your work stands out from the pack, and you can do that by printing it on canvas prints.

Imagine, if you will, your gallery or the local store/café you sell your photos at. People see the photo in a frame, look at it, nod, and move on. With a canvas print, however, people will instantly be drawn to your work more than any other piece on the wall, because it’s unique. Not only is it unique, it looks classier. Even if you only sell photos printed on photo paper and framed, canvas prints will draw people to your example and sample pieces much more readily than they would be drawn to any standard photography displays. Canvas prints draw the eye, and anyone who has ever seen one on the wall can attest to taking a closer look.

If you do decide to sell your art on canvas prints, doing so will likely be cheaper than the cost of printing and framing a work. Because canvas prints are more durable than standard photos, and because they can be covered in lacquer to protect them, canvas prints are fine as-is, even outdoors, and require no extra money spent on custom framing. Not only will it be cheaper for you to produce your works on canvas than on paper, but you can pass the savings on to your buyers. Your work will stand out from the competition and look more artistic and professional, and it will also be available at a lower price. Sounds like a win-win situation, doesn’t it?

Photographers aren’t the only artists who can benefit from using canvas prints. If you’re a painter (or inker), canvas prints make a fantastic starting ground for any works. By printing a background image (yours or public domain) and painting over it, you’ll be able to mix the effects of printed (and real life) images and your own work. The result is an entirely unique display that most people have never seen, and it will be guaranteed to bring people to view your works. For those of you who have trouble coming up with backgrounds for more abstract pieces, printing pictures on canvas prints and painting over them also eliminates that little problem. The best part? People will always believe that you used the canvas print background as part of your artistic vision, and not because you didn’t want to (or couldn’t) take the time and effort to come up with a better background on your own. You can also create canvas prints of people you want to paint or sketch portraits of, and have a great starting base to work over for that lifelike look.

As you can see, canvas prints not only benefit the consumer, but even the producers of art can utilize canvas prints in ways which will help them succeed. The key is to start now before everyone finds out about it.

By: Hugh Parker