Printing on Canvas

[incartek]

From Daniel Roberts -

Given the progress in inkjet and media technology, demand for printing photographs and art on canvas is growing exponentially. Whether you have a good inkjet printer or you prefer to have your work done by a professional outfit, it is worth to explore this option for any type of image.

Artists regularly order limited edition prints on canvas and watercolour papers to sell to collectors. These reproductions usually are signed and are accompanied by a COA (Certificate of authenticity). Buyers are very receptive to purchasing canvas prints they can hang up without a protective glass, without worrying about scratches and water damage.

The texture of a fine art canvas is unparalleled in beauty; a protective coating is applied on top to give the substrate a matte, lustre or glossy look. If you prefer to experiment with this material to see the results, canvas sheets are available at many stores that carry inkjet products.

Polycotton canvas is available in ultra gloss and matte finishes for photographic art reproduction and in fine art matte optimised for inkjet art reproduction. For more information please see

The differences between a home desktop printer and a professional one are many but I will focus on the most important. First, commercial machines can be outfitted with pigmented inks; these inks differ from dye inks commonly found in the cheap home printers because they are archival and will not fade for decades. Dyes on the other hand will start losing brilliance in a matter of months. There are some home use printers now that offer a form of hybrid dye/pigment system. The second difference is the nozzle quality; pro level systems have extremely sophisticated nozzles that can render a very fine dot and exceptional tonal rendition.

The process of printing on fine art materials such as canvas and watercolor papers is referred to as "gicle". Gicle is a french term that loosely translated means "sprayed on". It refers to the nozzles which spray ink onto the paper. Gicle printing involves some of the characteristics described above and it is usually performed by professional shops, but it is possible to do this in your own place with little more than a high end inkjet printer. It mostly depends on the print format.

With the latest papers and a good inkjet printer you are able to do this at home - or in a studio. An A2/3 printer such as the Epson 2400 or 3800 is fine. The two most well-known suppliers of paper are Innova (see www.opusalbums.com/canvas) and Hahnemhle, though there are more restricted ranges from other manufacturers and the printer manufacturers.

Indebted for part of the content to Fabio Braghi

 

[krodmandoon]

it is usually performed by professional shops, but it is possible to do this in your own place with little more than a high end inkjet printer. It mostly depends on the print format.

Interesting... I had wondered about this but i have to admint to purchasing some canvas prints from those guys. You mention high end inkjet printer could you be a little more specific and what print formats would you suggest?

Thanks in advance,
Krodmandoon!

 

[rain0396]

Very useful to me.Can you tell me what's materials of the canvas? Is it polyester or pure cotton? I like to use pure cotton canvas some time.

 

[incartek]

Hi Rain0396
Our paper is Polycotton i.e polyester and cotton
Daniel Roberts
www.opusalbums.com

 

[Javalicious]

You mention high end inkjet printer could you be a little more specific and what print formats would you suggest?
Thanks in advance,
Krodmandoon!

Yes, I would also like to know which "high end" inkjet printer could handle canvas. I doubt this is possible as most can barely handle cardstock. An example of a machine it has actually worked in would be nice

 

[incartek]

Very useful to me.Can you tell me what's materials of the canvas? Is it polyester or pure cotton? I like to use pure cotton canvas some time.

We use Polycotton - though cotton often feeds better.
Daniel
See http://www.printalot.org/innova-canvas

 

[plotter123]

most large format inkjets can handle canvas, and vinyl, as long as you get the stock

 

[RockFixer]

Im using the Epson 9900 (44") and it handles media up to 1.5 mm thickness. For canvas I prefer Epson and Hahnemuhle matte canvases. The result is stunning and media cost is very reasonable.

 

[ni9eofse7en]

Just tried Lyson and Innova papers, so far with mixed results

The Lyson image quality was poor compared to cheal Lidl paper on A4. With the ICC profile from Lyson the results had a distinctive green cast. Alhough results were poor I only tried 4 sheets, so I have bought a sample pack to experiment with on different settings using Photoshop 6 and canons own software. I have contacted the supplier to ask for their thought.

The Innova paper is from a couple of sample packs, and as I am running short of ink, I have only tried a couple of sheets. Using their ICC profile on glossy paper produced an over saturation of red, which almost wiped out all detail on the image. The canvas paper IFA36 was printed using Canon software. The image produced is warmer than than the test print on Lidl paper, and gives the image of a snow fox a brown tint to the coat. it's acceptable but not as good as that produced on Lidl paper.

I have an open verdict on these two suppliers at this time, although I was dissapointed that the Innova paper was poorly packed in a flimsy envelope, no cardboard back. The envelope arrived torn in at least 5 places and all the stock had suffered corner damage. Its ok for test purposes and I wrote to the supplier several days ago advising them of this, I await a response.

I have read that Ilford Galerie products have received good reviews when used on the Canon Pro 9000, so I am going to try that as well.

I appreciate that getting colour management and the right paper is an art in itself, and this entry could fit in many a topic on this forum, so its just my initial findings and perspective at this time. However I am aiming at producing A3+ images on decent photo paper, glossy or pearl, and on canvas, so would welcome users findings above and beyond what I have found so far. If anyone knows of another topic covering this subject please advise.

Thanks

 

[pharmacist]

Hi ni9eofse7en,

Canvas on a dye ink printer like the Pro 9000 is not a good idea. I tried this before and the ink crawls and feathers on the surface. Only pigment ink will work well with Canvas. The Canon Pro 9500 pigment ink printer is much better for canvas. After converting my Epson 1400 from dye to pigment ink the printer now can print on canvas as well. With dye the results are very poor and feathery.