OK we can dash of to the local photo lab/supermarket/chemist and get some prints bashed out …or go online and do the same. But and believe me it’s a big but , there is so much more the digital format can do. One of the biggest and most popular photography trends to come of the ‘digital explosion’ is getting a PHOTO CANVAS printed of your own photography, great looking modern and classy. Unframed and simple they will fit into nearly all types of décor and look great. Good for your own house or as a special personalised gift.

"So I can go online, just get one and ‘bingo, job done’ right? After all, there are new sites popping up every day claiming to offer photo gifts better than the last site you checked out" ...

I'll give you some facts and you decide...

Its all about the canvas

There are so many different types of digital canvas, it can get a little bit boring … so does it make any difference? It depends what you want for your money, why is a Mercedes more expensive than a Kia?

The vast majority of canvas photo prints will be PVC coated canvas, printed with solvent based inks. The ink can crack on the corners and the whole thing has a 'plasitcy' look and feel. some less 'bothered' printers call this 'giclee' printing ... its not. Giclee is an old fashioned and very smelly varnish they used to seal prints with ‘back in the day’. There are some printers who have systems that are excellent. Don’t get me wrong, but I’m afraid the vast amount of them are just just jumping on a hot trend to make some fast buck.

The other major alternative is 'woven canvas' for transfer ink. This is uncoated canvas, printed with a water based, heat cured ink, very eco friendly and very, very hardwearing, it’s also used for handbags and shoes so it’s got to be hardwearing. This type of printing involves some pretty heavy weight machinery to ’cure’ the prints into the textile, the big advantage of this is that the inks don’t affect the feel of the textile, keeping them soft and natural feeling. The overall effect is a much higher quality look to the print, its hard to put into words how classy dye transfer looks, so I won’t. It just does OK?

Its all about the print as well

So you’ve taken a great portrait of your Mum and got it printed onto a photo canvas, as a gift online…. Why is her face now purple? It didn’t look like that on-screen!

Most large format digital inkjet printers are stable machines these days and looked after will offer years of reliable service. The fly in the ointment here is that the owner doesn’t look after them or uses cheaper third party inks in them they will be most likely to spit out mile after mile of sub-standard, weak, colour shifted, streaky, PANTS. (and no one wants streaky pants do they....mark?)

Problem is how do you know that from a photo gift website alone? After all no one is going to put a rubbish print in their shop window are they?

This is a tough one to work out. Your best bet is to look for a quality or satisfaction guarantee, if they are prepared to put their money where their mouth is at least you have some recompense should the quality not be as you expect.

…eeerr and its all about frames….too

Best on a deep frame, (1.5 or 2 inches is the norm) this will keep it square and true. If a canvas print seems cheap it’s a good chance it will be on a ½ inch frames and made of MDF or cheap knotty pine that could warp. Look for at least 1.5 inch deep, kiln dried soft wood .. preferably from managed plantations.

You may read on some sites, about ‘wedges’ on the inside corners of the frame. Here’s the heads up on that. If the printer is using poor quality canvas it will stretch over time and need wedges in the frames to re tighten it. This concept came from the days when cotton canvas was stretched and oil painted and the cotton took in moisture from the air and became slack.

If they use wedges in 2007 be careful.