I am considering making some prints of my images on fine art media (canvas/paper) using a large format inkjet printer (which I am yet to buy). A quick browsing showed infinite variety of paper/canvases. I assume for a given image certain type of medium (paper/canvas) may be best suited, e.g., for some images matt may be better suited compared to glossy or canvas. Is there a generic theory on what media to consider without making multiple prints to physically see and decide ? What are characteristics of images that influence choice of a medium ? Or is this a meaningless question ?
As a rule of thumb I usually print florals and oriental inspired images on watercolor, avian, fauna and scenics on either mat or semigloss. Canvas is just emerging as the "paper" of choice in this area and so far the most impressive are scenics. Take a trip to your local art gallery and whenever you like an effect check the medium its done with and whether it is on canvas or watercolor paper.
Bought some 13 x 19 canvas ($35/10 sheets)that I can print on my home printer and have been experimenting with stetch frames, style of the image, etc. It is not any more expensive, and possibly less expensive, than printing, matting and framing a photo and you can command a much higher price because of the perception that it is a one-of-kind. The 13 x 19 only results in a 11 x 14 image because of the overlap on the strech bars. Once you go larger the price really increases because you need a very large printer. Remember you need to add 4" in each direction (2" on each side) to the canvas size when purchasing a printer... i.e. to print a 16 x 20 your printer must be capable of printing a 20" x 24" image. Another option is to buy a large roll of canvas and work with a local print shop to have them print the image on your canvas. The one in this area charges $40 to print a 16 x 20 on your canvas, but here again you've lost artistic control of the result. Also, apply a fixative to the image before stretching.
Hope this helps.
Posted by Robert Fisher on January 13, 2009 at 8:35 AM
It really depends on the photo itself. Photos with a lot of sky area, for example, are better on a smooth paper. Winter photos can benefit from a textured paper like a Hahnemuhle German Etching or William Turner because it gives texture to the snow, which it has in reality. Watercolour papers like Hahnemuhle Torchon give more muted, pastel-like colours. Glossier papers generally have greater DMax and better colour saturation. I personally don't use them much but when I do it's for times when I've got a photo that has more intense colours and where I want a very crisp, clean, sharp print.
Canvas is almost a hybrid between matte and glossier papers. It's got better DMax than matte papers but not as good as glossier. It's got better colour saturation, generally, than matte papers but not quite up to glossier. It's got a nice texture which can work well for a variety of photos. I like using it for my impressionistic style photos. The nice thing about canvas is that it can be less expensive to hang overall because you can stretch it and just hang the stretched canvas without a frame and matting.
Great question! Really it boils down to personal preference but some of the factors to consider are dMax (coated papers will have deeper blacks compared to watercolor/matte papers), image detail (detailed images often benefit from pronounced surface texture which gives the detail a 3D look), and framing choice (glass or no-glass, etc.) but more than anything it's what works best for your own eye.
Most pro labs offer free samples of the papers they use. I suggest getting a few and studying them side by side to get a feel for what your image will look like.
Thank you all so much. Yesterday I visted a local gallery to see some of the framed prints and papers used. I was told that inkjet canvas can be matted like a paper and stretching is not necessary. I have read similar comments on the net too. Won't it defeat the purpose of using the stretched canvas to some extent (get that unique art feel) ? Any comments ?
Thanks again ! I just bought my large format inkjet printer (24"). Hope to start experiementing soon..
Posted by Robert Fisher on January 15, 2009 at 8:26 AM
Yes, you can mat and frame canvas like you would any other print. Yes, it does defeat the purpose of using canvas to get more of an 'art' or 'painterly' look and feel.
We've used canvas on stretchers for over 20 years in our studio, though principally for portraits and always produced by one lab or another rather than on our own inkjets. We've found that the time, effort and waste in doing it ourself is more than compensated by having someone else do it. We simply pass on the extra expense to our clients.
A practical point and something to plan into your operation: One of our big issues is durability, both of the surface and the mounting. It's very easy to scratch the surface even with protective coatings, and the slightest ding of a corner results in damage. And with canvas being our most expensive product, we simply can't allow either. Scratches accumulated during mounting and handling are our lab's problem, and the shipping cartons they use provide better protection of both the surface and the corners than anything we have managed on our own. It's sure a lot easier to get the canvas to our clients undamaged using the lab's shipping carton, than anything we manage on our own.
In addition to the good points already raised regarding subject matter for canvas printing, there's tradition too, and the question of what the client already has hanging in their household. Canvas has long been the high-end choice in portraits, and in our experience clients with other canvases in their house, whether paintings or portraits, are more likely to spend for them. Framing factors into that style too, as canvas portraits on stretchers are almost always displayed in heavy frames, which can become an important style issue in a home with heavy frames already installed, as well as one with lighter frames on conventional prints.
We do a lot of outdoor family portraits with the scenery or setting integral to the image. Those come off really well on canvas, and have led clients to buy our nature prints on canvas too. It's certainly a matter of taste, but it's hard to affect client's taste and sell the more expensive canvas art prints if they haven't seen them. In our case we have a large number of framed prints on display in our studio at any one time, and probably four or five times that many more in storage so we can keep rotating them with the season. I'm guessing we probably have well over 300 display prints including the smaller sizes. The opportunity to walk around and look at prints and an assortment of presentations most certainlly affects our clients and their purchases.
I'll finish with an insight about print sales passed down throuh generations of studio and gallery owners, and one we have verified. Most clients wanting to splurge on large prints will buy one size smaller than the largest prints you have on display. So the bigger the prints you can display, the bigger your sales.
Discussion
8 repliesI am considering making some prints of my images on fine art media (canvas/paper) using a large format inkjet printer (which I am yet to buy). A quick browsing showed infinite variety of paper/canvases. I assume for a given image certain type of medium (paper/canvas) may be best suited, e.g., for some images matt may be better suited compared to glossy or canvas. Is there a generic theory on what media to consider without making multiple prints to physically see and decide ? What are characteristics of images that influence choice of a medium ? Or is this a meaningless question ?
Thanks in advance for your response !
Bought some 13 x 19 canvas ($35/10 sheets)that I can print on my home printer and have been experimenting with stetch frames, style of the image, etc. It is not any more expensive, and possibly less expensive, than printing, matting and framing a photo and you can command a much higher price because of the perception that it is a one-of-kind. The 13 x 19 only results in a 11 x 14 image because of the overlap on the strech bars. Once you go larger the price really increases because you need a very large printer. Remember you need to add 4" in each direction (2" on each side) to the canvas size when purchasing a printer... i.e. to print a 16 x 20 your printer must be capable of printing a 20" x 24" image. Another option is to buy a large roll of canvas and work with a local print shop to have them print the image on your canvas. The one in this area charges $40 to print a 16 x 20 on your canvas, but here again you've lost artistic control of the result. Also, apply a fixative to the image before stretching.
Hope this helps.
Canvas is almost a hybrid between matte and glossier papers. It's got better DMax than matte papers but not as good as glossier. It's got better colour saturation, generally, than matte papers but not quite up to glossier. It's got a nice texture which can work well for a variety of photos. I like using it for my impressionistic style photos. The nice thing about canvas is that it can be less expensive to hang overall because you can stretch it and just hang the stretched canvas without a frame and matting.
Most pro labs offer free samples of the papers they use. I suggest getting a few and studying them side by side to get a feel for what your image will look like.
Guy
Thanks again ! I just bought my large format inkjet printer (24"). Hope to start experiementing soon..
A practical point and something to plan into your operation: One of our big issues is durability, both of the surface and the mounting. It's very easy to scratch the surface even with protective coatings, and the slightest ding of a corner results in damage. And with canvas being our most expensive product, we simply can't allow either. Scratches accumulated during mounting and handling are our lab's problem, and the shipping cartons they use provide better protection of both the surface and the corners than anything we have managed on our own. It's sure a lot easier to get the canvas to our clients undamaged using the lab's shipping carton, than anything we manage on our own.
In addition to the good points already raised regarding subject matter for canvas printing, there's tradition too, and the question of what the client already has hanging in their household. Canvas has long been the high-end choice in portraits, and in our experience clients with other canvases in their house, whether paintings or portraits, are more likely to spend for them. Framing factors into that style too, as canvas portraits on stretchers are almost always displayed in heavy frames, which can become an important style issue in a home with heavy frames already installed, as well as one with lighter frames on conventional prints.
We do a lot of outdoor family portraits with the scenery or setting integral to the image. Those come off really well on canvas, and have led clients to buy our nature prints on canvas too. It's certainly a matter of taste, but it's hard to affect client's taste and sell the more expensive canvas art prints if they haven't seen them. In our case we have a large number of framed prints on display in our studio at any one time, and probably four or five times that many more in storage so we can keep rotating them with the season. I'm guessing we probably have well over 300 display prints including the smaller sizes. The opportunity to walk around and look at prints and an assortment of presentations most certainlly affects our clients and their purchases.
I'll finish with an insight about print sales passed down throuh generations of studio and gallery owners, and one we have verified. Most clients wanting to splurge on large prints will buy one size smaller than the largest prints you have on display. So the bigger the prints you can display, the bigger your sales.