Canvas Creations

Fine Art Poster - 270 gsm

This smooth, natural-white, acid-free paper has the look and feel of a heavy, matte offset paper. It is made in Switzerland and has excellent water resistance. It’s great for giclee fine art printing, photographic reproductions and posters. It delivers exceptional print quality at an economical price. Available in widths up to 36".

Approximate longevity of 50-80 years.

 

Premium Semi Matte Photo Paper - 270 gsm

This professional photo paper offers excellent color and a heavy 270 gsm weight. The semi-matte finish is the lowest gloss level available in a professional photo paper. This paper is moisture and smudge resistant, but susceptible to scratching so we recommend careful handling and framing behind glass. Available in widths up to 44".

Approximate longevity of 80-100 years. Oil by Kinuko Y. Craft - http://www.kycraft.com

 

Professional Photo Satin - 300 gsm

This professional photo paper offers excellent color reproduction and a heavy 300 gsm weight. The traditional E surface finish provides an elegant texture consistent to that of a dark room. Also available in high gloss. While this paper is moisture, smudge, and scratch resistant, we recommend careful handling and framing behind glass. Available in widths up to 60".

Approximate longevity of 80-100 years.

 

Professional Photo Gloss - 300 gsm

This professional photo paper offers excellent color reproduction and a heavy 300 gsm weight. The high gloss surface provides excellent color depth for situations where glare isn't a concern. Also available in a satin finish. While this paper is moisture, smudge, and scratch resistant, we recommend careful handling and framing behind glass. Available in widths up to 60". Approximate longevity of 80-100 years.

 

Simulated Canvas - 16mil

This economical canvas look material is composed of an archival photo paper with canvas textured laminate, creating the look of canvas without the cost. An excellent choice when the print will be mounted to a rigid substrate, such as foamboard, or when a less expensive option is required. Available in widths up to 60".

Approximate longevity in excess of 100 years.

 

Sunset Textured Fine Art Paper - 310gsm

This rough textured, acid-free watercolor paper offers a natural white, matte finish and great color range providing excellent reproduction of both photography and traditional art. Though careful handling is always recommended, this paper is designed not to mar or scuff during normal handling like some other fine art printing papers. Available in widths up to 60". Approximate longevity of 80-100 years.

 

Sunset Cotton Etching Paper - 285gsm

This lightly textured, acid-free watercolor paper is made from 25% cotton and offers a natural white, matte finish and great color range providing excellent reproduction of both photography and traditional art. Though careful handling is always recommended, this paper is less likely to mar or scuff during normal handling like some other fine art printing papers. Available in widths up to 60". Approximate longevity of 80-100 years.

 

Crane Museo Max - 250gsm

This acid free paper combines breakthrough technology with the finest 100% cotton rag to produce a paper capable of vivid colors and subtle detail. This paper contains no optical brighteners and and has durable, flake free finish. Excellent for both fine art printing reproductions and photographic prints. Available in widths up to 60".

Approximate longevity of 80-100 years.

 

Hahnemuhle German Etching - 310gsm

This 310 g mould-made, acid-free watercolor paper offers excellent color range and depth in a lightly textured watercolor paper. As the name suggests, it has a surface similar to etching paper, which is excellent for both photography and fine art printing. Available in widths up to 44".

Approximate longevity of 80-100 years.

 

Canson Edition Etching - 310gsm

This museum-grade 100% cotton rag paper is internally buffered and acid free with no optical brighteners for the highest archival quality. The excellent white point makes for rich, accurate color reproduction, making it an outstanding choice for both fine art printing and digital photo reproduction. Available in widths up to 44".

Approximate longevity of 80-100 years.

 

Canson Rag Photographique- 310gsm

This 100% cotton museum grade white fine art and photo paper has an exceptionally smooth white tone that is achieved during manufacturing by introducing natural minerals to the process. The extra smooth finish and deep blacks make for excellent fine art printing and photography. Available in widths up to 44".

Approximate longevity of 80-100 years.

 

BFK Rives - 310 gsm

This is the world’s number one mould-made traditional printmaking paper, with more than 500 years of history and heritage. This exceptional 100% rag museum grade paper is ideal for fine art printing and photographs and gives them a very prestigious aura. The unique pure white tone is obtained without the use of optical brighteners, and the paper has a very specific smooth and velvety texture. Available in widths up to 44". Approximate longevity of 80-100 years.

 

Crane Textured Fine Art Paper - 225gsm

This 100% cotton rag, acid free paper is great for art and photographic reproductions. It is available in both a smooth, hot press finish and a classic textured cold press finish (shown). It is also available in sheets in an extra heavy weight of 425 gsm in both finishes. Available in widths up to 44".

Approximate longevity of 80-100 years.

 

Somerset Enhanced Velvet - 255gsm

Somerset Enhanced Velvet is made by St. Cuthberts Mill in England. This unique fine art paper has a fine texture and beautiful photo realistic definition. This is a special version of the popular watercolor paper designed for digital fine art printing. Also available in a 505 gsm sheets. Available in widths up to 44".

Approximate longevity of 80 to 100 years

 

Hahnemuhle 230 - 230gsm

This natural white mould made paper is lighter weight, but more heavily textured than many of our other watercolor papers for those who desire a more pronounced texture. Founded in Germany in 1584, Hahnemuhle produces quality fine art printing papers for the discerning user. Available in widths up to 44".

Approximate longevity of 80-100 years.

 

Hahnemuhle Torchon - 285gsm

This watercolor paper is made by Hahnemuhle in Germany. It's a fine art printing paper with a unique parchment texture that produces photo realistic definition and tremendous color range and depth. Available in widths up to 44".

Approximate longevity of 80-100 years.

 

Arches Aquarelle Rag- 310gsm

The world’s number one mould-made watercolor paper is now available for giclee fine art printing. This genuine 100% rag watercolor paper complies with the highest archival standards with no optical brighteners and is extremely age resistant. It gives a unique and unrivalled character to traditional artwork and photographs. Available in widths up to 44".

Approximate longevity of 80-100 years.

 

Schoellershammer Linen - 300gsm

This unique paper has a natural canvas-like appearance and produces outstanding color. Made in Germany by Schoellershammer, producing quality paper since 1984, this 100% cotton fiber paper has a bright white color (without the use of optical brighteners) and is acid-free, lignin-free, and non-yellowing. Available in widths up to 44".

Approximate longevity of 80-100 years.

 

Matte Decor Canvas - 17mil

This polyester/cotton blend canvas is specifically designed for high volume canvas giclee fine art printing. It is durable enough without a finishing coat that it can be cleaned with water and mild detergent, which also makes it our least expensive canvas printing option. Can be stretched and mounted. Available in widths up to 60".

Longevity in excess of 100 years indoors.

 

Gloss Decor Canvas - 22 mil

This polyester/cotton blend canvas is specifically designed for high volume canvas giclee fine art printing. It is durable enough without a finishing coat that it can be cleaned with water and mild detergent, which also makes it our least expensive canvas printing option. Can be stretched and mounted. Available in widths up to 60".

Longevity in excess of 100 years indoors.

 

Matte Designer Canvas - 20 mil

This polyester/cotton blend canvas is acid-free and is designed for fade resistant giclee canvas fine art printing or photo canvas reproductions, and is great for those who wish to retouch their prints. Since it is printed with solvent inks, it’s water and scratch resistant without the need for a surface coating, which makes it more economical. Available in widths up to 60". Longevity in excess of 100 years indoors.

 

Satin Designer Canvas - 24 mil

This satin finish polyester/cotton blend canvas offers excellent color reproduction and is acid-free for fade resistant giclee fine art printing or photo reproductions. Since it is printed with solvent inks, it’s water and scratch resistant without the need for a surface a coating, which makes it more economical. Available in widths up to 60".

Longevity in excess of 100 years indoors.

 

Gloss Designer Canvas - 24 mil

This polyester/cotton blend canvas features a gloss finish and outstanding color depth and saturation. It is durable enough to be cleaned with water and mild detergent without requiring a top coat, which makes it an economical choice, and like all our giclee canvas, it won’t crack when stretched or mounted. Available in widths up to 60".

Longevity in excess of 100 years indoors.

 

Artist Canvas - 20mil

This poly/cotton blend canvas provides exceptional color gamut and longevity, and is ideal for both giclee fine art printing and photo canvas reproductions. It is finished with a flexible protective coating, available in a gloss, semi-gloss or matte finish, which prevents the print from moisture and abrasion damage, and won’t crack and become brittle as it ages. Available in widths up to 60". Estimated longevity in excess of 100 years.

 

Premium Canvas - 20mil

This high-end poly/cotton blend giclee printing canvas uses a 12 color ink set to produce the broadest color gamut possible. An acrylic topcoat is applied for resistance to damage from water, chemicals, and scratching, and is available in gloss, semi-gloss, or matte finish. Can be stretched or mounted. Available in widths up to 60".

Estimated longevity in excess of 100 years indoors.

 

Normal turnaround time is 3-4 days. During the order process you will be asked if you have a specific due date, and if you do, we will adjust your shipping method, if necessary, to get your order to you on time. If you need your order even quicker, we also have a rush service. If you authorize rush charges, we can get your order shipped the same day or the next day. Rush charges are typically 50% of your order up to a maximum of $75. If we're able to meet your deadline without bumping other jobs, we won't actually charge the rush charge, but you must authorize the rush to guarantee delivery.

The best choice of film formats in order of preference would be slide or transparency, negative, and then photo print. In some cases, better results can be obtained from a print rather than the negative, but usually it's the other way around. Generally we can get better color and detail for a photo canvas print by scanning a negative, often better than the original print. If possible, we suggest you send both the print and the negative so we can use whichever we determine will work the best once we are able to see them both.

If you have a digital photo that doesn't look as it should, make sure you don't repeatedly save the file in jpeg format. Each time you save it, it is recompressed and more image detail is lost. If you want to work on your file in an image editing program such as Photoshop, save it in tiff, photoshop or some other uncompressed format until you are ready to have the file printed. At that point you can save it in jpeg format using the highest quality setting to reduce the time it will take to transfer the file to our system, or you can leave it in tiff format if you don't mind the extra time it will take to send it.

Regardless of what size megapixel camera you may have, setting your camera to capture the largest image possible is always the best idea. You should also make sure the compression settings are at the highest quality possible. This will use a higher quality of jpeg compression. If your camera can save in an uncompressed format, it might be advantageous to use this option if you plan to make a very large print as jpeg compression is usually noticeable the larger you make the print. Also see "Why do my jpeg files look bad when I blow them up?" above for tips on keeping your digital photo from degrading as you work with it.

This is a difficult question to answer because of several factors. The biggest impediment to a quality print at a larger size from a digital photo is often jpeg compression artifacts. If you've followed our advice from above on how to get the best quality from your camera, you can often print your image quite large with good results. Obviously, the more megapixels your camera has, the larger you can print your image without loosing quality, all other things being equal. However the printing material also has an affect. Photo canvas printing has such a textured surface, enlargements will often look better than on paper since the texture helps hide the lack of resolution that is common with enlargements. Another factor to consider is viewing distance. A print that shows a lack of resolution due to enlargement up close, might look just fine from arms length. We've printed images at 16 feet wide from 8 megapixel cameras that look very good from five feet away, so where a print will be displayed and how close you expect it to be viewed from are important to consider when deciding how large a print can be made. When in doubt, send us your file and we'll examine it and let you know how large we think it can go and still look good.

Our system is tightly calibrated to produce accurate color, but accurate color may not look as you expect if your own system is not calibrated, and in most cases it is not. Computer monitors and desktop printers are generally not very accurate, so even if you like how your photo looks on your screen or printed on your home printer, that may not be what your photo actually looks like when printed on a calibrated system. Here are some things you can do to help ensure your print comes out the way you want.

• If possible, calibrate your monitor. Hardware calibration is best, but most home users will not have the equipment to do this. Software calibration, while not as accurate as hardware calibration, should get you fairly close and should be adequate to give you a good idea of what your file really looks like. If your system doesn't come with monitor calibration software, there are shareware and commercial utilities available that will let you do this without spending a large amount of money.
• Save your monitor profile with your image. Most digital cameras will embed their color profile in the image, and image editing software such as Photoshop will preserve this profile, or save your monitor profile with the image if you've set the color preferences to do this. Including your monitor profile in your image will go a long way towards allowing us to match what you see on your screen when we print your image, so this is always the best option if possible.
• If you have a print from your own home printer that you like, you can send us that print and we will use it to match your photo canvas or watercolor print as closely as possible. This will mean that you have to send us the print, so it will add a few days to the time it takes to complete your order, but if the color match is important, this is probably the best thing you can do to make sure the print comes out as you expect.

Photo and watercolor paper prints must be framed under glass for protection, and traditionally have a mat in a complimentary color around them, although the mat is not required. When you order a print, you will be asked on our order form for the printed image size and the finished trimmed size. If you want the image to extend all the way to the edges of the paper, these measurements would be the same. If you will be matting the print, a border of 1/2" or more is a good idea so the matte can lay on top of the print without covering any of the image. In this case, the finished trimmed size would be 1" larger than the printed image size in each dimension (1/2" on all sides). You can also leave a larger amount of paper showing, such as 1" to 2" and skip the matting. In either case, be sure to decide before you order so you can fill in the order form correctly.

For canvas prints, mounting to a wooden frame or stretcher bars is the recommended method. We offer both standard stretching and gallery wrapping.

Standard stretching is for situations where the finished canvas will be placed in a frame. The printed portion of the canvas covers the face of the mounted canvas, and the sides are left unprinted. The stretcher bars for this type of mounting are 11/16" thick to more easily fit into more styles of frames.

Gallery wrapping is for situations where you want to display the finished canvas without a frame. In this case, the printed image covers the face and wraps around the edges of the stretcher bar. The stretcher bar for this type of mounting is 1 1/2" thick. See the How to Order tab for more information on stretching and examples of the different options.

This may seem obvious, but it's important to select the photo you want to use for several reasons. First, if the photo you want to use is not in a digital format, that is to say you have a photo print, slide, or negative, then the first item you'll need to add to your order is the scanning service, which is listed under Scanning and Prepress Services. In most cases, the option "Scan and Proof for Originals up to 12x18" would be the correct service to choose.

If you have a digital photo you want printed, it's important to know how large your image is, and how large you want it printed. If your digital photo is not of sufficient resolution for the print you want, the results may be poor, so checking this now is a good idea. Most images can be enlarged 2-4 times their original size and still print very well. If you're not comfortable evaluating this you can either complete your order and send your file, and we will look at it and contact you if we feel your file will not produce good results, or you can send your file in advance and we'll let you know how big a print you can make and still maintain good quality. If you want to send a file in advance for evaluation, you should use our File Transfer page.

When you first open the order form, there will be an expanding list of items on the left. If you use the Place Order button, you can skip to the next paragraph, otherwise, make selections on the left from Art & Photo Reproduction, then Canvas Creations and choose from the material categories and finally the actual material you want to use for your print. You can select different options to see the descriptions if you have not yet decided which material you want. If you need some help in deciding, look in the Our Recommendations tab for some suggestions.

Once you have decided on the material you want to use, you will need to indicate if you are sending a file, or providing a photo/film to be scanned. If you are sending a photo or film, you will need to indicate in the next step that a file is not needed for your order. If you are sending a digital photo, then you must indicate how you are sending the file. You can choose Upload Now and click the Upload button that appears to send your file at this point, which is recommended, or you can choose to send your file later or one of the other options.

Once you tell us how you are sending your file, you will be presented with a form to complete. Here you need to tell us the printed image width and printed image height you want for your photo. You must also indicate the finished trimmed width and height. For paper prints, you can make the trimmed size the same as the image size if you want your photo to extend all the way to the edge of the paper. If you want to have a margin of paper left around the printed photo then make the finished trimmed size larger to allow for the margin you want. If you are ordering a canvas print, the finished trimmed size is automatically entered for you to allow for a standard 2" stretching margin.

Next enter the number of copies you want printed in the quantity field and the price will be calculated.

Most artistic effects will make your photo look like a painting, which may not be desirable if you like the way your photo currently looks. If you do want to create the look of a painting instead of a photo, then you will want to choose one of the options in this list. The panels below explain each of the effects and show examples of the effects applied to the image on the left.

 

This artistic effect makes the photo look like it was drawn with colored pencils. The left image shows the overall photo so you can compare it with the original, which is in the panel labeled Step 4: Artistic effects. The image on the right shows a section of the photo enlarged so you can see the effect in greater detail.

This artistic effect makes the photo look like it was painted with pastels. The left image shows the overall photo so you can compare it with the original, which is in the panel labeled Step 4: Artistic effects. The image on the right shows a section of the photo enlarged so you can see the effect in greater detail.

This artistic effect makes the photo look like it was painted with watercolors. The left image shows the overall photo so you can compare it with the original, which is in the panel labeled Step 4: Artistic effects. The image on the right shows a section of the photo enlarged so you can see the effect in greater detail.

This artistic effect makes the photo look like an oil painting. The left image shows the overall photo so you can compare it with the original, which is in the panel labeled Step 4: Artistic effects. The image on the right shows a section of the photo enlarged so you can see the effect in greater detail.

This artistic effect makes the photo look like a modern art painting. The left image shows the overall photo so you can compare it with the original, which is in the panel labeled Step 4: Artistic effects. The image on the right shows a section of the photo enlarged so you can see the effect in greater detail.

This artistic effect is the only one that doesn't actually alter the detail in the photo. It only affects the edge of the image, giving it a painted look. This effect is most commonly used for prints on watercolor paper. The left image shows the overall photo so you can compare it with the original, which is in the panel labeled Step 4: Artistic effects. The image on the right shows a section of the photo enlarged so you can see the effect in greater detail.

Digital hand painting is not an effect, but is an actual hand painted original, done digitally on a computer rather than with traditional methods. Because of this, it's much more expensive than the other options, which are basically filter effects where most of the work is done with computer software.

We have used a different image for this example to show you an actual job. The top image shows the original photo while the bottom show a detail section of the digital hand painting that was done from the photo.

Since this technique is an actual painting, there is far more control over the style and detail than with a filter. If you choose this option we will contact you to discuss the specifics of your painting before any work begins.

Canvas Stretching

If you're ordering a canvas print, you have the option to have us mount your canvas print on stretcher bars, and apply an impasto coating to the canvas. While canvas can be mounted on board, for long term use it's recommend that it be stretched over a wooden frame because this allows the canvas to breathe, as well as expand and contract with changes in temperature and humidity. It's very common to order the canvas print without stretching so that we can ship it rolled, and then you can take it to a framer in your area for stretching and/or framing. On very large prints, this can save quite a bit on shipping costs. There are two different types of stretching we offer; standard stretching and gallery wrapping.

Standard stretching is for situations where the finished canvas will be placed in a frame. The printed portion of the canvas covers the face of the mounted canvas, and the sides are left unprinted. The stretcher bars for this type of mounting are 11/16" deep to easily fit into most styles of frames.

Gallery wrapping is for situations where you want to display the finished canvas without a frame. In this case, the printed image covers the face and wraps around the edges of the stretcher bar. The stretcher bar for this type of mounting is 1.5" deep. If you plan to have your prints stretched elsewhere, make sure you talk with your framer to see how thick the stretcher bars will be so that you allow enough image to wrap completely around the sides. You will also need to make sure that nothing important will get wrapped over the edge of the stretcher bars, like the tops of people's heads, etc.

If you don't have enough image to allow it to wrap around the sides, the edges of the image can be mirrored onto the sides, or the sides can be printed in a solid color. In the photo at the top of the page, the front image wraps around the sides, but there wasn't enough extra image at the top to wrap around so we duplicated and mirrored the top portion of the image. The wedding photo in the middle had plenty of image to wrap on all sides. With the digitally painted image in the back, we didn't want to loose any of the image for the wrap, so a solid color was used to wrap the edges. Depending on your particular image and your preference, one or more if these techniques can be used so if you haven't already included the extra margin for the gallery wrap in your image, in the additional instructions section of the order form be sure to indicate how you want the edges of the gallery wrap to be done.

Impasto Coating

The impasto coating is an optically clear gel that is applied to the printed canvas to create brush strokes on the surface so that it looks like an original painting. In order to apply the coating, the canvas must be stretched first, so we only offer the impasto coating in combination with our stretching services.

If you order this service, we will apply the brush strokes to the canvas in a random pattern and try to have the brush strokes make sense with the underlying image, but the brush strokes will not match the original stroke for stroke. With photos, there are no brush strokes so this isn't really an issue. Adding this service will add an additional 1-2 day to the turnaround time as the canvas must be completely dry before we apply the impasto coating, and then the coating must dry for a day before we can ship it.

Next you can request a proof. A printed proof on the actual material that your final print will be on is $30, but an electronic pdf or jpg proof is free. If you've chosen an artistic effect, or if you're not sure how your image will crop, you should request a pdf proof so you can see how the image will look before we print it. A pdf proof is not good for color purposes since you will still be viewing it on a computer monitor or from your own printer, and if either isn't calibrated, the results will not be reliable, but it is good for general purpose use.

The final step before adding your print to the shopping cart is to tell us what you want us to do if your photo doesn't fit the size you told us to print it. The options are to have us size your file to fit the dimensions you provided and crop any excess, or to contact you for instructions. If you're sure that your image actually sizes correctly to your dimensions, it doesn't really matter which option you choose because neither one will be necessary. But, if you're not sure, you should either choose to have us contact you, or tell us to crop the image to fit. We'll do our best to crop your image in way that makes sense, but you should also be sure to request a pdf proof so you can see the results of the cropping.

Once you've complete all the previous steps, click the Add to Cart button to add this print to your shopping cart. On the shopping cart screen you can see all the items you've added to your order, delete any that you don't want, and have another chance to upload your file if you chose Upload Later from the order form. You can also choose Add Another to add another print to your order.

You don't need to log in or create an account to select and add items to your shopping cart, but you will need to do so in order to complete your order. This is so your account history can be maintained for future reference and ordering convenience. Your account information is secure and confidential, and creating an account WILL NOT result in unwanted e-mails from us, or anyone else.

Once you have placed all the items in your cart you want, and are logged in to your account, click the Order Now button. You will be asked to specify either normal turnaround time for your order, or provide a specific due date. If you do specify a due date, you will also be given the option to authorize rush charge for your order. If you need your order completed in less than the normal 3-5 day turnaround, you should authorize rush charges to ensure you get your order on time. Rush charges are 50% of your order total, up to a maximum of $75. If we don't have to bump other jobs to meet your deadline, you won't be charged the rush fee, but if you don't authorize the charges, we'll do what we can to complete your order on time, but won't go so far as to bump other jobs. If you specify a due date that is not a rush, we will adjust the shipping method, if necessary, to ensure your order arrives by the date you specified. In this case, extra shipping charges may apply.

Next you will be asked to select the shipping method, and finally the payment type. Please note that we are not currently able to give you the shipping cost as part of the order. Our shipping charges are not fixed amounts, but are based on the actual cost to ship your order. Since there are so many variables in this, we have not been able to develop a reliable system for accurate shipping quotes that will work in all situations, so we are continuing to calculate the cost manually and adding it to your order before you are charged. You should also know that your credit card is not being charged when you submit the form. We are collecting the information for your order, but you will not usually be charged until your order ships. That way, if there are aspects of your order that change, we can adjust the cost of the print and include the shipping cost before you are charged.

Once you click the Order button, you will receive an order summary via e-mail for your records, and we will receive your order and the process can begin.

As always, if you have any questions or need assistance, please Contact Us and we'll be happy to help you with the process.