Advice on liquid Laminating Canvases please?

[Chris Wool]

how do you mean get away with it what risk

[Nicola McIntosh]

hi denise the company im working for is churning out around a thousand plus canvases a week, all printed with uv inks, nothing is laminated, but u do need to watch while making them as they can scrape and score, you just have to be careful. when the client gets them delivered perfectly they are going on the walls anyway a place where not much can happen to them 😀

[Harry Cleary]

Paint pads are notoriously difficult to get the hang of, a roller will spread an even coat much more efficiently. I think laminate enhances colour in 99% of cases.

[Chris Windebank]

I use a foam radiator roller with excellent results

[Ian Johnston]

Use some Mr Sheen, no crap it works a treat, same for banners.

A Canvas goes onto a wall, it get’s no Abuse so why does it need laminating,.

I was told a long time ago to try Mr Sheen, and laughed, I tried it and it works wonders,

Ian

[Denise Goodfellow]

quote Ian Johnston:

Use some Mr Sheen, no crap it works a treat, same for banners.

A Canvas goes onto a wall, it get’s no Abuse so why does it need laminating,.

I was told a long time ago to try Mr Sheen, and laughed, I tried it and it works wonders,

Ian

A big kisses coming your way if it works OK 😀

[Denise Goodfellow]

I have been playing at the end of the day with certain things.

Using a foam roller, good results, but leaves slight lines on the canvas. Makes the print alot brighter/glossier. I have read that you can buy rollers with a bevelled edge to stop this.

Mr Sheane ………… Sorry, its a no from me. The spray end doesn`t give a good spray pattern, very blobby. It also doesn`t lift the print. Do you wipe off the excess?

Personally I prefer the rattle can spray.

I personally think prints do need to be treated as it makes them alot more glossier, but i think this might depend upon what machine/ink/canvas you use.

[Martin Oxenham]

Mr Sheen for me too. Spray on then rub over with a cloth to get it even Either leave to dry and buff off or as we do heat it dry with the heat gun and then polish with a clean cloth, this tends to harden it more. We do this on every print and it works perfect and takes minutes no waiting for laminate spray to dry.

[Ian Johnston]

quote Denise Goodfellow:

Mr Sheane ………… Sorry, its a no from me. The spray end doesn`t give a good spray pattern, very blobby. It also doesn`t lift the print. Do you wipe off the excess?

Hi Denise,

You do with it as you would a piece of furniture, spray it on, polish it over the print with a cloth , let it Dry, then buff it up.

Ian

[Jason Xuereb]

We use an electric spray gun to liquid laminate our canvases.

Works easily.

[Warren Beard]

I also stopped laminating, I tried all the liquids and sprays and found frog juice the easiest and best finish but the smell and time it took was not worth it. I stopped laminating all together and have supplied a fair few since and never had any comebacks. In fact I did some for my brother-in-law about 4 years ago and think it was the fist I stopped laminating, went to his flat before Christmas and and saw them wedged between the wall and his cupboard as he doesn’t have wall space any more since he moved out the house, I pulled them out and they were still perfect even though he clearly wasn’t looking after them but they with stood scuffs and fading. (they only been "stored" for about 3 months since moving)

Canvas in my opinion is suppose to be dull in the sense it is a fabric, the colours are good but you shouldn’t want any sheen or glossiness to them, I think it cheapens the look and feel of a canvas.

JMHO

Cheers

Warren

[Andrew Martin]

I print my canvas via a water based pigment Epson 10600 printer, and laminate with breathing colour liquid laminate in matte finish applied with a foam roller, but then I only do a few a month like this so its not a problem and my customers pays for quality.

If you find your ink scratches off due to your ink and canvas being not compatible then its good to laminate as its better not to waste a roll of canvas.
I regularly do canvases for a local photographer and he insists them to be laminated as it adds contrast to the colours as well as easier to clean greasy finger marks off, I have two samples of printed canvases to show potential customers, one laminated and one not and the difference can be seen.

[Chris Windebank]

Have to agree with Andrew, I use the Landor liquid lam with foam roller especially designed for canvas prints and gives a great finish. Not cheap but worth it in the long run.

[Denise Goodfellow]

Hi everyone

I just thought I would update this thread.

I wanted to lam my prints, in order to give a better gloss finish to them, leaving them unlamented wasn`t an option, perhaps I should try another canvas, to see if that made a difference.

I have tried the polish idea, it does improve the image, but in my opinion it does not give the canvas enough gloss. It could be the polish I used, might try a better polish…

I have tried the foam roller with liquid lam, its alot better in my opinion than polish, but you have to be careful of the lines created by the roller. Though the canvas does look better when made up rather than flat on the bench.

I did ring a local car paint supplier and ask their opinion, they suggested tried a ready made lacquer they have.

It gave good result, just like the cans I was already buying, but at half the cost.
It does smell, doing 1 isn`t a problem, but 10 at a time does, so we do them just before we go home, to avoid the smell, the young lad that does them also used a mask.

Thank you to everyone who commented.

Denise x

[Robert Lambie]

Thanks for the feedback Denise, always good to hear how things develop. not enough come back to let folk know the results. so thank you! 😀

[Martin Pearson]

There seem to be quite a few people who sell canvas prints so where does the business come from?? Looking at some of the ebay prices I am guessing you aren’t all selling on there.

Never been asked for a canvas print & didn’t really investigate further as I didn’t think the printer would be suitable for that sort of work.

[Denise Goodfellow]

quote Martin:

There seem to be quite a few people who sell canvas prints so where does the business come from?? Looking at some of the ebay prices I am guessing you aren’t all selling on there.

Never been asked for a canvas print & didn’t really investigate further as I didn’t think the printer would be suitable for that sort of work.

Hi Martin, I don`t know if you are directing that question at me…..

we sell canvases via our shop, we are on a main road, so get quite a few walking customers, though most need a directing on how to get the best images for it.

we don`t sell on ebay at the moment, certain sectors where alot of people are competing in the same market the prices are very low, personalized canvases priced @ £15. crazy money.

But if your artwork/design is yours, made/created by your own hands, then some of the prices are what we would charge in the shop, if not more. If someone likes the design and there is only you that have it, then you can demand a higher price.

[Martin Pearson]

Just a general question Denise, not aimed at anyone. Read threads like this quite a few times and always a few replies so just wondered where people got the work from in the first place. I’ve never been asked so have never tried to promote it but if it were something I could do & made a bit of extra money then I would look into it a bit more.

[David Rowland]

always thought laminating canvas was a bit of a waste of time…

majority of us have been sold printers that wont fade? or do they lol

To make a canvas more glossy just attracts reflections from surrounding lights but not in all cases.

I think putting random chemicals on top of ink can make the chemicals attack the ink. So I think you should think it through if your selling a product.

[Andrew Martin]

Martin… I get my canvas work from local photographers and from word of mouth from other private individuals.

Dave… As for laminating i do believe its beneficial, not for fade resistance though but more for protection of greasy fingers as it can be wiped clean, also it does make a difference to the colours making them more vibrant on waterbased pigment inks and dyes, not sure if the same applies to the colours on solvent printed canvas.