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Printing on Canvas?

ModestPenguin

ModestPenguin

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 5, 2006
437
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OKC
I am interested in printing a large photo on canvas, the print would be about 40"X28". Has anybody ever printed on canvas or at this size with any suggestions. The image is plenty large at 300 DPI. I am looking for a great place to have this done. I found a website called photogonia.com that seems to do this but I am interested in opinions about the process and who to go through.

Here's the shot,

Thanks!
 
ModestPenguin said:
I am interested in printing a large photo on canvas, the print would be about 40"X28". Has anybody ever printed on canvas or at this size with any suggestions. The image is plenty large at 300 DPI. I am looking for a great place to have this done. I found a website called photogonia.com that seems to do this but I am interested in opinions about the process and who to go through.

Here's the shot,

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Crazy, never seen/heard about anyone doing this. Could be really cool.

Just from working with canvas (painting in oils, inks, etc.) I can't even imagine what type of printheads the thing would use. Canvas, as I'm sure you know, is not smooth. Your DPI is going to be almost meaningless because so much ink will be in the "cracks" of the surface.

I'm interested to hear how it turns out!!! Sounds very cool and probably will produce a really interesting piece. It definitely won't look like a photograph but will also be very different painting. Very neat idea.

Please post pics when you finish! I, for one, would love to see!

Best luck!
 
mgsarch said:
Crazy, never seen/heard about anyone doing this. Could be really cool.

Just from working with canvas (painting in oils, inks, etc.) I can't even imagine what type of printheads the thing would use. Canvas, as I'm sure you know, is not smooth. Your DPI is going to be almost meaningless because so much ink will be in the "cracks" of the surface.

I'm interested to hear how it turns out!!! Sounds very cool and probably will produce a really interesting piece. It definitely won't look like a photograph but will also be very different painting. Very neat idea.

Please post pics when you finish! I, for one, would love to see!

Best luck!
Click to expand...


Thanks man i definitely will post pics. I have a photo printed on canvas I purchased a while back an it looks awesome. However it is in black and white. Ill take some pics of it tomorrow in the daylight and post them to give the idea of the feel i want from the one i am printing.
 
Have seen a bunch of sites offering the canvas printing option but haven't tried it out myself - would also love to know of anyone's experience of it and whether the final product looked good. Thanks.
 
ModestPenguin said:
Thanks man i definitely will post pics. I have a photo printed on canvas I purchased a while back an it looks awesome. However it is in black and white. Ill take some pics of it tomorrow in the daylight and post them to give the idea of the feel i want from the one i am printing.
Click to expand...

Really cool!!

Really beautiful photograph as well, meant to say that before. Did you shoot that? Camera?

I can't wait, I wonder where I've been sleeping to never have seen this done.

Does the resolution more closely resemble a photo or a painting? Is it really printed onto the canvas? I've seen those prints that resemble those iron-on decals but never this :)
 
Well since my printing on bristol board thread isn't getting any response I can more than help here. Epson makes 17x22 printable canvas (which is a nice size for a wall) as well as 13x19 and at your local art supply store you "should be able" to find at least 8.5x10 printable canvas (Office Depot in the US has it). Also if you do a search on Amazon there are a bunch of printable canvas sizes to choose from.
I currently have an Epson R300 and a Canon ip6600 printer and the only thing you would need to do is select the "thickest" printing media from your selection under the print options. Mine is media paper on the Epson and I can't remember what it is on the Canon off hand.
For what printers to use for large format canvas printing, search Amazon or go to Epson/Canon website(s) as I found a few. Epson has two or three from $400-1200 in the 17x22 print size. Now the Epson that was on Amazon could print up to 2mm thick and has a back to front tray load option for printing art paper/media. Canon has two printers around $400-900 (these are their semi-pro) for your studio at home. The Epson ink is about $50 a cartridge where the Canon is around $15 each however the Epson tanks are huge and in the long run will save you money after many prints. **Note that I've found rumors that the Epson will cost you a great deal of money to replace the tanks depending on your printing quantities. Someone made a remark around $1000 a year depending on how many prints you sell/make :eek:.
As for any larger size such as using rolls of canvas, Epson makes rolls of printable canvas for the larger printers but they are pricey and so are the larger format printers (wider printing than 17"). I can only tell you that the 8.5x10 prints on canvas look nice as this is what some people have done at school and why I started the other thread (in hopes that others have/had printed on bristol board and other media using some of the "lower costing" large printers). Also I really wanted a type of printer(s) that could be used that had a reasonable cost/price for a home art studio with absolute control over the final print quality. Not to mention if someone wants a print I could do it asap with minimal waiting at any given time/day.
Last I have emailed Epson and Canon with some questions about their printers with such printing methods in mind and I'm hoping they respond within a reasonable time.
Hope this helps…if you do find one please give a review and let us know the final outcome :) I'm going to be printing some 8.5x10 soon and will post some pics. here once they are done with a short review as well.
 
I recently have a couple of canvas prints made from some 120 negatives. Certainly it doesn't make any difference what the original medium is. Mine were printed at 240 DPI and the quality held up perfectly. The printing was done by DigiCraft out of Portland, Oregon and I thought their quality was superb. You can choose either a glossy or matte finish canvas. I went with the matte because of my subject matter and also they were b&w with a slight sepia tone.

They're basically using a wide format pigment ink printer which for the most part yields a giclcee print. After mounting the prints I coated them with several light coats of a matte spray-on varnish. No problems with the images running or anything like that. The cost are calculated by the square foot and ran me about $50. per print.

One thing you'll have to figure is whether you want to gallery wrap the canvas on stretcher bars or adhesive mount them to a substrate and then perhaps float them in a frame, which is how I finished mine. I really am enjoying the canvas look instead of the usual glossy photo paper print but often the subject matter will help determine the final method of printing.
 
The company I work for prints on canvas. Canvas prints look really good. They have that high end art look. If you want I can print you a small sample of your image. That way you can see what it looks like on canvas. You can upload your file at www.jamestownrubberstamp.com

Nick
 
Hey Nick,

Thanks for your info with this thread! I'm only in Buffalo so closer than some as I have been looking for a local shop that would do this work. Do you have any size restrictions or samples (photos from other work on canvas)? Also how long does the process take from images/files until said print is ready for pickup?
If you want to send me more info just send me a PM here also for more specifics.
Thanks again.
 
I had a couple of 24x36 done from Shutterfly. They were not cheap but I was very pleased with the final product. I used stretched canvas for these two football game photos so I could put them in my boy's room and not worry about a framed picture getting broken.

My source files were from a 8MP camera...I don't know how that translates in pixels. The only lesson I learned is that they do the canvas print and then part of your crop stretches around the frame. I assumed this when finalizing the pics but it would have been nice to know how much margin was needed for the frame thickness....next time I will leave more margin.

I have to tell you though, the final product from a simple photo is great and it is a really neat presentation for a casual application.
 
Canvas Prints

Hi Everybody!

I just want to mention a website that I was ordering from, yourart2canvas.com has a perfect quality and very good service!
I had few canvas before but those guys know what they're doing, I really reccomend!!!
 
nickbradish said:
The company I work for prints on canvas. Canvas prints look really good. They have that high end art look. If you want I can print you a small sample of your image. That way you can see what it looks like on canvas. You can upload your file at www.jamestownrubberstamp.com

Nick
Click to expand...

I received the print sample from Nick very fast (unlike my mailman) and it is just what I was looking for as far as quality and color(s). I would defiantly order some prints on canvas from www.jamestownrubberstamp.com in the near future. If anyone has the chance to get some things printed from them please post about it.
Thanks again Nick :D
 
can lah..

in my office, we can print more than 40 ft x 19 ft..
hehehehehe....
pvc, canvas, sticker, and paper...
it used eco Solvent inks..

-peace- ;)
 
I haven't done since high school

I'd like to get back into painting, something I haven't done since high school. The problem is that I've never purchased my own supplies; I used to just use the art supplies from the art classroom. I don't have very much money to experiment with, so I was wondering if anyone knew of some cheaper substitutes for common painting supplies.Also, canvas is too expensive, so what else can I use acrylic paints on? Where could I get it and how would I prepare it for painting?
 
Artful Dodger said:
I received the print sample from Nick very fast (unlike my mailman) and it is just what I was looking for as far as quality and color(s). I would defiantly order some prints on canvas from www.jamestownrubberstamp.com in the near future. If anyone has the chance to get some things printed from them please post about it.
Thanks again Nick :D
Click to expand...

Thanks for the comment. We are also able to print on many other materials with a maximum size of 60" by any length. If anybody has any other print related questions please feel free to ask.
 
juliatkarzon said:
I'd like to get back into painting, something I haven't done since high school. The problem is that I've never purchased my own supplies; I used to just use the art supplies from the art classroom. I don't have very much money to experiment with, so I was wondering if anyone knew of some cheaper substitutes for common painting supplies.Also, canvas is too expensive, so what else can I use acrylic paints on? Where could I get it and how would I prepare it for painting?
Click to expand...

Hello,

One thing to do if you don't have much money is check your Sunday paper for coupons that are 40-50% off and then have your family and friends give them to you as well. Example since I don't know what stores you have, I buy my paints (or a set to start with) at Joann's or Michael's craft stores here in Buffalo, NY using those coupons. A nice set or seperate tubes of Winsor Newton acrylic paint would be really cheap. A 200ml tube would go for $8-10 full price but most of mine I got for 1/2 off each. Now since canvas is somewhat costly for you, do the same and try buying a twin pack with a solid frame or ask to buy a certain amount of canvas from the fine art department at your local college (students will go in on rolls and split the cost). You also could buy a sheet of masonite at your local Home Depot or Lowes store and have them cut it to size(s). Prime it using gesso ($10 a gallon), sand to the texture of your choice using 220 sandpaper, wipe off particles and begin painting on it.
Hope this helps :)
 
Well folks, I am decorating my bedroom black, white and red and wanted a picture of one of my favorite cricketer in canvas. The pictures I have found are either a bit too dirty or just like them. I would love to have the cricketer in canvas but can't find one anywhere. Does anyone know where I can get this particular picture of Don Bradman on canvas? Thank you in advance.
 
Well I do digital photography and I wanted to do something similar (not as big) and walked into officeworks. Don't know if you would have heard of them they are an Australian shop where you buy all your office needs, and boy was it expensive! A little photo frame size with about a.... 13" diagonal was about $80 Australian. Though it is pretty cool to hang your work in your room/office/house. I passed on it though.
 
All the canvas prints I've seen, especially landscapes have looked really ghastly and artificial. I've never done one myself so I can't comment on how they got them to look so bad. All I would suggest is perhaps trying to look at a sample canvas before committing to something expensive.
 
Target Copy does this. And I would suspect any print shop that caters to "soccer moms" and anyone else would also.

From afar, it looks like a softer version of your image.

Up close, it looks like a crappy rendition of your image.

To each their own, just look at a completed print first before committing to paying to have your photo uglified!

/rant
 
Definitely get a sample printed first, get a feel for how your print shop will perform. I've seen some AWFUL prints on canvas that look so chintzy. Then again, I've seen some great prints that made me do a double-take. Shop around.
 
I just simply used CanvasTouch.com for 36" x 48" canvas photo prints for a low cost with 40% discount and I'm glad with the result. This was taken during our family vacation tour in turkey, really great service.
 
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