The Process of Printing on Canvas

When an image is printed onto a stretched (or gallery-wrapped) canvas and then framed and displayed it is called a canvas print. It is also known as "stretched canvas" or "canvas art." There are many printing methods for canvas printing. Before the 1990s the most common way for printing on canvas would be offset printing. This is where an inked imaged is transferred from a plate to a rubber blanket then to the canvas.

Nowadays the most common is a process called the Giclee inkjet process. The word Giclee is derived from the French verb gicler meaning to spray or print. This process uses ink jet printers to create fine art prints. The canvas photo printing process is just taking a picture and putting it on a canvas so that the photo on the canvas is based on the traditional photo print, digital image photo, or scanned image.

The canvas print material is usually cotton or an alternative and cheaper plastic based Poly Canvas. These can be printed on small or large rolls of canvas that can measure 60" or more! The HP designjet z6100 and Epson Stylus Pro 9880 are both examples of printers that are used for printing on canvases that can weigh around 400gsm.

This process displays the photo in a different way than you would see when a photo is printed on regular paper. The canvas gives the photo a more historical or artistic feel. This process is great if you want to showcase a photo instead of placing it in an album. This actually is a better option if you want to preserve the photo. This will last for decades without fading. You can see evidence of this from all the paintings that are placed on campus. Those are preserved for centuries.Printing on canvas is a great way to make an family heirloom that will last generations.

Displaying is easy because after the image is printed the canvas is trimmed and attached to stretcher bars or a wooden panel that is then framed or gallery-wrapped.A three-dimensional effect can be attained through a display called full-bleed. This is when a print is engineered to continue around the edges of the frame once gallery-wrapped. For best results you should use a camera that is 3 mega pixel or higher, and the higher the quality the better the results. You can choose many sizes and framing techniques, and even use techniques like sepia or light brush strokes depending on the look you are trying to achieve.