Printing on Canvas

[ni9eofse7en]

pharmacist,

Interesting, I can not say I have noticed that. I have only done the one print mind and it is on A4. Looking close up through an 8x magnifier the iamge is actually stronger and less pixelated than on the cheap glossy paper. It is, although being a slightly smaller print, spot on to the naked eye other than being warmer/browner. The hair on the fox looks white and black with grey shades on the gloss paper, which to my eye looks more natural. The canvas print look more like cream and black with dark brown hairs, and this shot is against the snow ( the canvas paper is more cream than white so I guess this may go a long way to explaing the clour shift). I would not write canvas prints out on this one print, but I will look closely for feathering.

In days gone by I enjoyed producing my own B&W prints in the darkroom on Ilford paper, and using various methods to improve the final print. Colour was always a hit and miss affair as you could not see the image being produced. Now we have the technology to produce images as good as any high street photoshop for general snap shots on many A4 printers, but I wanted more. Even though I did a fair bit of research you always find out more after you've spent your money, although as in my case the purchase was also driven by the amount I could spend.

I will persevere with the Canon, looking for the right printer, ink and paper combo, until I either find a rich widow or I win the lottery

Thanks for your advice. Your experience and time is appreciated, I have read quite a few of your posts and will be using many of your suggestions.

 

[pharmacist]

Hi ni9eofse7en,

It could be possible your canvas is specially precoated with an ink absorption layer. The canvas I use suffer from feathering when I try to print on it using my previous Canon i9950 (which happens to be mechanically the same printer like your Canon Pro 9000, same printhead, same ink configuration, but without the dreaded chips on the carts). I'm glad your canvas is precoated to cope with dye ink as well.

But be warned that dye ink will fade much quicker, especially on something like canvas, meant to be attached on the wall. You might want to varnish the canvas to make it more fade resistant. This is the reason why pigment ink is to be preferred: it fades many times less quickly and can outlast you and your children.

 

[ni9eofse7en]

Pharmacist,

Thanks for the info, I will check on the precoat.

 

[rodonisle]

would like to use my epson 1400 to print on canvas but not sure if or how to get it to feed. Any hints, how-tos, or other info? Like which media setting - Glossy? Photo? Presentation? Mat?

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Canvas material is typically thicker than regular photo paper, and this can lead to problems that the platen gap is not wide enough for it, and the printhead may touch it here and there leaving ugly stains and spots. I'm not aware that the 1500W can adjust the platen gap like larger format printer can do.
Since this is non-standard material anyway you would have to run an icc-profile for decent color reproduction, and you print with the same driver settings you have used to print the target patches for the profile generation. You may try a paper setting 'envelopes', that's the only way to raise the platen gap on some printers. You can place the back of the printer close against a wall, this would support the canvas sheets holding them upright in the paper bin.

 

[nrdlnd]

I'm also planning printing on Canvas with my Epson 3880. The two canvases I've looked at is Hahnemühle Monet and Canson Museum Pro canvas matte 385 gsm. The Monet has got very good reviews but the Canson seems to have equal gamut and D-max. The Monet canvas has to be fed from the back of the printer that can be tricky but I think the Canson can be fed from the regular paper feed on the top that may be easier. I will make my own profiles and they have to be scanned after the patch has been lacquered that is necessary to do with canvas. The Monet comes 17" wide but the Canson 24" wide so it has to be cut.

Per

 

[RogerB]

I'm also planning printing on Canvas with my Epson 3880. The two canvases I've looked at is Hahnemühle Monet and Canson Museum Pro canvas matte 385 gsm. The Monet has got very good reviews but the Canson seems to have equal gamut and D-max. The Monet canvas has to be fed from the back of the printer that can be tricky but I think the Canson can be fed from the regular paper feed on the top that may be easier. I will make my own profiles and they have to be scanned after the patch has been lacquered that is necessary to do with canvas. The Monet comes 17" wide but the Canson 24" wide so it has to be cut.

Per

I often print canvas on my 3880, normally a 350gsm 100% cotton type, and I always fed from the normal sheet feed on the top. The biggest challenge is getting it to feed straight, but I always feed it manually before I hit the "Print" button, just to make sure it's OK.

Incidentally, if you are looking for premium canvas you might like to consider Innova Ultra Glossy IFA-36. It has a colour gamut and Dmax approaching that of a gloss paper. I really liked it but it's a bit too expensive for my day-to-day work.

 

[nrdlnd]

Hi,
Thank you RogerB for the tip on the Innova IFA-36. Can it be varnished as I want to do that as a protection? And what varnish glossy or satin? Yes it's rather expensive I think about in the same league as the Hahn Monet canvas (matte). The problem is with the calibration and Hahn recommends printer setting "Velvet Fine Art Paper" and then the printer only accepts manual feeding from the back. The Canson Museum Pro Canvas WR Matte 385g/m2 is cheaper than the Monet canvas but has to be cut from a 24" roll. There is no profile for the 3880 but the recommended setting for the 11880 that has the same ink is "Enhanced Matte Paper" and then it can be fed through the regular feed on top of the printer.

If I use matte canvas I will coat it twice, first with a glossy varnish and then with a satin varnish (I think Ernst Dinkla has recommended this procedure). Of course I will measure the patches after the coating has dried when I make the profile.

Per

 

[RogerB]

Hi,
Thank you RogerB for the tip on the Innova IFA-36. Can it be varnished as I want to do that as a protection? And what varnish glossy or satin? Yes it's rather expensive I think about in the same league as the Hahn Monet canvas (matte). The problem is with the calibration and Hahn recommends printer setting "Velvet Fine Art Paper" and then the printer only accepts manual feeding from the back. The Canson Museum Pro Canvas WR Matte 385g/m2 is cheaper than the Monet canvas but has to be cut from a 24" roll. There is no profile for the 3880 but the recommended setting for the 11880 that has the same ink is "Enhanced Matte Paper" and then it can be fed through the regular feed on top of the printer.

If I use matte canvas I will coat it twice, first with a glossy varnish and then with a satin varnish (I think Ernst Dinkla has recommended this procedure). Of course I will measure the patches after the coating has dried when I make the profile.

Per

There is no reason why IFA-36 cannot be varnished, but I have found it to be very tough without varnish. In its natural state it is quite glossy so if you prefer a lower gloss then satin varnish would do the trick. For my matte cotton canvas I use two coats of satin varnish to get the finish I like.

I have never used the VFA media selection for anything so I have no idea how different the ink load is from the Enahnced Matte setting. It would be interesting to compare a simple target printed with the two settings to see how different they are. I may try this next time I switch to MK. I must say that when I first used canvas I tried feeding through the rear feeder but soon gave up because I found it so difficult.

Good luck anyway, whatever canvas you choose - it can give very satisfying prints.

 

[nrdlnd]

Yes this IFA-36 looks very interesting! I found this review: http://www.psw.co.uk/write//canvas-review.pdf . It seems to be in a class by itself! I also saw Keith Coopers review. I will probably try it and also try to varnish it as I'm afraid of too much reflections. It will save some work if it's enough to varnish it once with for example a satin varnish (instead of twice for the matte canvases).
Per