My basic guide to making up ‘canvas style’ frames.

[Adrian Yeo]

Great David, thanks for that! 😀

How do you finish off your backs? I just run a couple of thickness’s of tape along the back to cover the staples and cut edge of the canvas.

[Martin Oxenham]

Ive thought of using pvc materials instead of canvas but what would happen if someone hung it over the mantle piece would it not distort the pvc ?

[David Rogers]

quote Martin Oxenham:

Ive thought of using pvc materials instead of canvas but what would happen if someone hung it over the mantle piece would it not distort the pvc ?

It’s a PVC coated polyester so is very stable. It would have to get stupidly hot before distorting…way beyond anything domestic. I’ve ‘attacked’ one with a heat gun before…nothing…neither shrunk nor stretched.

quote Adrian Yeo:

Great David, thanks for that! 😀

How do you finish off your backs? I just run a couple of thickness’s of tape along the back to cover the staples and cut edge of the canvas.

In general, I don’t ‘finish’ off my backs these days. I just run around the inside edge with a blade, and maybe put some tape round the inside edge. I had in the past use white ‘gaffa tape’ to cover over staples – but it looked a bit, well – taped up. I’ve yet to have a comment about them NOT being completely taped, especially as nobody sees it.

[Martin Armitage]

Thanks for that David, I have just sold my first canvas today and have been frantically practicing for the last week, I didn’t think about using double sided tape. Do you use anything to finish off the prints, I tried a spray on varnish but it didn’t want to dry.
Thanks
Mart.

[David Rogers]

quote Martin Armitage:

Thanks for that David, I have just sold my first canvas today and have been frantically practicing for the last week, I didn’t think about using double sided tape. Do you use anything to finish off the prints, I tried a spray on varnish but it didn’t want to dry.
Thanks
Mart.

Good on ya! The customer satisfaction is pretty high with this product – never fails to impress. I did a few for the students at a local art college (final year) – besides getting to interact with the latest generation of up-and-coming talent, some of the (digital) artwork was simple stunning.
I used the d/s tape ‘cos it makes life easier in the lining up stakes and I’ve no issues with materials looking stretched over time so can comfortably fix them in place.
I don’t actually need to spray / laquer / coat my prints as they are done on a slightly glossy material anyway. I did try various woven polyester fabrics…but they suffered from a dull finish & washed out colours. End result is a textured surface ‘weave’ that’s pretty durable and even wipe clean!

Granted it’s not a proper canvas as far as the purist go – so I sell them as ‘canvas style’ prints…Joe Public?…they’ll never know the difference anyway.

[Mark Jahn]

Just what I’ve been after for ages David – thanks for posting about the frames. I’m trying out dye sub canvas but so far have been selling just the print and not the frame. That’s about to change now though!

[Martin Oxenham]

I see what you mean about the polyester. What is this material and where can you get it please. I Currently use canvas with proper stretcher frames but these do take a while to mount.
I’ve recently seen two suppliers with carts in shopping malls doing this with prints ready in two hours.
They were using Epsom printers with what seemed like a pvc based material,
But the frames they used were even more basic they consisted of a frame about 25mm x 12mm with a 4mm plywood face so the front was solid.
As you said it was not proper canvas prints but the customer doesn’t care or even know, once its on the wall they want what looks good and is cheap…Although these were not cheap.
Most gift shops are doing really cheap canvas style prints now with some as cheap as £5. I know these are mass produced tatt but once its on the wall the customer doesn’t know the difference.

[Mark Jahn]

Martin – I’m trialling some 100% polyester canvas from Home to Gifts. I’ve got both types and you’d never know it’s not canvas material. The 330gsm in particular is very thick and has a canvas effect to it. I’m told the thinner type at 280gsm makes it easier to fold so may be better suited for A4 and smaller.

http://www.hometogifts.co.uk/canvas.htm

Not cheap (compared to ordinary canvas) but you get 155cm wide in a metre and I reckon there should be enough for 10 A3 prints per length.

[Andrew Bennett]

Mark,
what machine are you putting that through please sp300 ?

[Mark Jahn]

It’s dye sub Andrew. Printing from my R1400 onto TruePix then heat pressing onto the polyester canvas.

Its the future 😉

[Andrew Bennett]

How odd, dye sub inks are so expensive for such a large picture size and epson do pigment ink printers that do the same job.

You gotta be richar than moi 😀

[Mark Jahn]

:lol1:

I bet you I’m not!

With the cost of the paper and ink I’m working on somewhere in the region of £1 or less per A3. How does that compare with pigment?