Attention Photographers - Why Printing on Canvas is Better than Paper

While you might be looking at the title of this article thinking, yeah right, believe it or not, those that are trying to create a business or art form from canvas prints know that this is true. Think about any large public place you’ve been in lately that held photos on the walls. Which ones looked better? The large printed paper prints or the canvas prints? The canvas prints always look better as they have a professional feel to them – not just some large piece of paper under glass. The overall look, feel, and texture that canvas prints give off create the feel of a unique oil painting with the clairty of a photos, it’s easy to see why many artists and photographers prefer printing on canvas to printing on paper any day.

Of course, printing on canvas does have drawbacks, just like anything else. For example, there are hundreds of different types of paper out there to choose from that will help to enhance and add to the overall photo print. You can choose paper that will change the overall feel of the photo, enhance it, or give it an old fashioned feel. Yet, you can’t really do that with canvas. You do have the choice of different qualities of canvas and that’s about it. But, the overall look of canvas prints are smoother, as canvas prints will lose a bit of detail and clarity once the print is completed. The good thing is that since canvas prints are bigger normally, people will enjoy them from a distance instead of inspecting them right up close. So detail isn’t that big of an issue to them as it is on photo paper.

One other major thing to keep in mind is that the expensive fine art photo paper carries a practical size with it. For this reason, you normally have to have it matted and then framed before it’s hung for display in your home or office. And, even if you get the biggest mat boards in the U.S (which are 40X60), it’s hard to match the size of printing on canvas. Yes, you can do custom frames and mats, but that can get extremely expensive and many customers won’t want to pay that extra cost. Also, the bigger that you go with fine art photo paper and prints, the more you risk losing clarity, color, detail, and more in your photo. You’ll also have to try to find some odd methods of mounting them for display, which again, reinforces the idea that canvas prints are the easier, more professional way to go.

Printing on canvas offers you a way to create large works easily, without all of the problems that go along with producing a larger photo on normal paper. If you want to go bigger, you simply use stretcher bars to stretch the canvas to just about any size you would like without compromising the print. Then, you can frame your canvas print in so many different ways – such as with or without glass, in a floater frame for a modern look, with a heavy frame for a victorian look, and so on. The possibilities are endless.

Of course if you do plan on using photo paper and no glass for protestion, you want to make sure that you do an overcoat on the print to save it from the elements. This is extremely true for those that are printed on inkjet prints that use pigment inks. The pigment simply sits on the surface of the printer or photo paper and doesn’t sink deep into the paper, like canvas prints will. So, it’s extremely delicate and has to be taken care of better or it will only last a couple of years. Canvas prints though, only reaquire a little bit of work to create a print that will last for decades and even longer. Plus, they look extremely professional and offer a beautiful way to show off a wonderful photo.

To find our more about canvas printing, or to order a canvas print of your photograph, please visit ZaZaGallery.com

Tags: canvas printing, canvas prints, digital photos to canvas, Photos on canvas, pictures on canvas, print on canvas