Top Reasons Why Canvas Prints are Better than Posters

If you’re a fan of poster art and other large format photograph displays then it’s possible you’ve started to catch wind of the canvas print movement. Although subject to a lot of resistance, mainly from painters upset that photography is cutting in on their favorite medium, canvas printing is picking up a lot of steam, and many former poster lovers have wholeheartedly switched to canvas.

But what real advantage do Canvas Prints have over posters? Certainly not cost. Canvas Prints are a much higher quality product, with more expensive materials, and more labor involved. You’re not going to find a canvas print for the same price that you’ll find an equivalently sized poster. However, we don’t think that matters so much considering what a significantly superior product canvas prints are to posters.

Let’s start with the materials used in making canvas prints. Unlike a poster, canvas prints come with a solid frame. It isn’t a decorative frame like one you would display a photo or poster in, rather the canvas is actually wrapped around it. The end result is a finished product that doesn’t need frame, mat, or glass to display and be protected. The stretcher bar frame is very sturdy, and is extremely easy to hang.

You will often find that the inks used in canvas printing and poster printing are completely different as well. Because paper in itself doesn’t have a long lifespan, most print shops won’t bother using inks rated to last decades either. With canvas, because the whole finished product is rated to last over 100 years without deteriorating, professional print shops will print it with highest quality archival inks. These inks won’t deteriorate or fade, and are UV resistant.

Beyond that, once printed, a very special protective sealer is applied to the canvas. This makes the print very malleable so that the ink and canvas won’t crack when it is stretched. Beyond that it makes the print moisture resistant, if not completely water resistant. A professionally done canvas print of museum-quality can be held under running water without any damage. We all know the same can never be said of a poster print, or even a photo paper print. The sealer also goes a great distance in protecting the canvas print from dirt and scratching.

Without a doubt, when it comes to quality and durability canvas prints beat posters hands down. But what about in appearance? There’s no contesting that posters have a classic look to them. They’ve been around forever – Their glossy finish and curling dog-eared edges is as much predictable as it is familiar, and familiarity is often comforting. However, if the quality of the image is your primary focus give canvas serious consideration. I’m not going to lie and try to tell you that canvas is the ideal display surface for images with extremely fine details and sharp edges. For things like that smooth glossy photo paper is still going to be ideal. However, for images with deep rich colors and a softer feel, canvas is perfect.

The texture of the canvas creates extremely tiny areas of light and shadow on the surface of the image that causes very subtle shifts as you change lighting conditions or viewing angle. While this texture is directly responsible for softening edges and ignoring extremely fine details, it also adds to the immense beauty of the product. Colors become much more rich, the image pops off of the surface, and the end result is truly stunning.

If you’re considering giving fine art canvas prints a chance for your next would-be-poster project, I suggest you check out ZaZaGallery.com where you can get a museum-grade 8×10 canvas print for only $25. If you like what you see you can always go bigger.

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