Posted by Jon LaBass on August 30, 2010 at 4:57 PM
Costco now offers canvas prints (http://www.costco.com/Browse/Productgroup.aspx?Prodid=11498621). Does anybody have any experience or feedback with their canvas prints? I have never printed on canvas and now have a client requesting it.
Here's the ad Costco is running:
"Gallery wrapped" – ready to hang
Special "fine art" protective coating
UV light protection
Prevents fading and cracking
Easy to clean
Are there any other good canvas printers around? Costco offers the print and mounted to a wood frame - do the print shops you guys use offer the same?
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Posted by Joe Rogers on August 30, 2010 at 6:01 PM
While the big box retails usually have adequate to excellent equipment it is operated by hourly employees with varying amounts of experience so you get inconsistent results. If you are doing work for a paying customer I would suggest going with a professional lab like the ones usually suggested on this forum. Of course, you will pay more, but it will be right and if it isnt they will reprint it. I would recommend Mpix which is the affiliated with Millers Imgaing, one of the finest labs in the US.
Joe Rogers
Posted by John Mumaw on August 30, 2010 at 6:46 PM
I can't help you there, but Mpix has a 15% off coupon code ( PNETGW ) on gallery wraps that expires at midnight Aug. 31.
I did an 11 x 14 canvas wrap from costco last May. The print was nice, but the corners are not tight. I doubt that I will use costco again for canvas gallery wraps. I've had some larger sized gallery wraps done from Artistic Photo Canvas with very good results.
Posted by Roger Rouch on August 30, 2010 at 7:50 PM
I was in Costco getting some regular prints a while back and asked about the canvas prints. It seems that they send this work out rather than doing them in the store. I've been pretty satisfied with their instore printing, but might it's probably a different deal with the canvas mounts. I've been satisfied with WHCC gallery wraps, They are slightly more expensive than the prices you quote.
Posted by Jon LaBass on August 30, 2010 at 8:30 PM
Great feedback, guys! Thanks! Also, thank you for the coupon code, John.
I have really good experiences with Bay Photo. Their pries are good and their shipping is unbelievable ($1.50) I had the floatmounts on one image aligned the wrong way and they rushed the reprint out.
Posted by Jim Casteel on August 30, 2010 at 9:13 PM
I have had good experiences with canvasondemand.com If you order by Thursday Sept 2nd with code SHARKFIN you get 22% off.
Not to hijack this thread, but Corinna, when you got your canvas from Bay Photo, did you do anything about color management/soft proofing, or did you just send the file off?
Posted by Jim Bennett on August 31, 2010 at 1:05 AM
I just ordered my first 24x32 canvas print from Costco on Saturday. I had no problem uploading the 50MB tiff file. I got an e-mail on Sunday saying that the print was ready to ship and that I should be receiving it by FedEx on Wednesday. I'll let you know what I think when I receive it.
Jim Bennett
Highlands Ranch, CO
Posted by Jon LaBass on August 31, 2010 at 9:38 AM
Sweet, Jim! Looking forward to your report.
Posted by Don George on August 31, 2010 at 9:52 AM
FinePrint in Fort Collins does a great job on canvas and wrapping. Some what pricey but high quality.
Posted by Jim Bennett on September 1, 2010 at 7:20 PM
My Costco 32x24 canvas print was delivered this morning by FedEx in perfect condition. As far as I can tell, the colors and print quality look excellent. The canvas is tight all of the way around, including the corners. For $115 after tax and 2-day FedEx shipping, I think it's a great value. Of course, I don't have the same photo printed on canvas from one of the other more expensive shops to compare against.
The only thing that I think that someone might possibly object to may be that the protective coating that they apply has a small amount of gloss, probably equal to a lustre finish.
After comparing the cost of these Costco canvas prints to what it's costing me to print my own photos, then mount, matt and frame them, I can probably save a lot of time and effort for photos and I can probably make more money selling the canvas and forget the frames. Now, I just need to compare the cost of plaque mounting.
Unless I find a shop that can beat Costco for price, quality and speed, I'll be ordering more from them.
Discussion
12 repliesHere's the ad Costco is running:
"Gallery wrapped" – ready to hang
Special "fine art" protective coating
UV light protection
Prevents fading and cracking
Easy to clean
$29.99 - 8x10
$34.99 - 11x14
$39.99 - 12x16
$49.99 - 16x20
$54.99 - 18x24
$69.99 - 20x30
$79.99 - 24x32
$39.99 - 14x14
$79.99 - 16x32
$99.99 - 16x48
Are there any other good canvas printers around? Costco offers the print and mounted to a wood frame - do the print shops you guys use offer the same?
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Joe Rogers
Jim Bennett
Highlands Ranch, CO
The only thing that I think that someone might possibly object to may be that the protective coating that they apply has a small amount of gloss, probably equal to a lustre finish.
After comparing the cost of these Costco canvas prints to what it's costing me to print my own photos, then mount, matt and frame them, I can probably save a lot of time and effort for photos and I can probably make more money selling the canvas and forget the frames. Now, I just need to compare the cost of plaque mounting.
Unless I find a shop that can beat Costco for price, quality and speed, I'll be ordering more from them.
Jim Bennett
Highlands Ranch, CO