I have been doing well with prints
made on canvas materials.
People like them much better then framed photographs and
they are highly viewable as glass-less prints.
However as a photographer stretched canvas was all a mystery
to me. I have gone through a learning curve to be able
to produce canvas prints. While the requirements for photography
is similar to stretching canvas for painting photographs
want less tension.
I have been using the LexJet Instant Dry Satin Canvas
with their profile on my Photo Black - UltraChrome Epson
9600 and have been getting fairly good results. I find
the profile is sensitive to red in the shadows so I tend
to be sure my shadows are a touch on the cool side to
avoid red in the blacks.
Here are the steps that I go through to produce a print.
I usually make several stretchers at a time to conserve
my efforts.
Making Stretcher Bars
Tools:
Table Saw
Miter Saw
Handheld Orbital Sander
Hot Glue Gun
4 Pony Clamps
Drill with 1/16 bit and 1/8 bit
Materials:
1x2 Douglar Fir with rounded corners
4d finish nails
Small Screw Eyes
I cut the stretchers myself out of 1x2 Douglas fir round
cornered stock. I use a table saw to rout out the inset
and a Makita miter saw for the corners. If you don't cut
the inset on the stretcher you will see the topography
created by the inside edge of the stretcher touching the
canvas. I cut the insets first in the 8-foot lengths of
1x2. After cutting the inset I sand the raw routed stock
to smooth and lower the inner edges of the inset cut.
The stock is then cut with the miter chop saw to be the
correct lengths with 45 degree mitered corners.
The pieces of routed and mitered 1x2 are held together
with 4 Pony clamps while I liberally hot glue the corners
and cross pieces. After the glue has cooled slightly I
pull the excess off, usually as a single piece. Pre drill
the corners with the 1/16 bit and nail with the 4d finish
nails. I use 2 nails in the corners for smaller pieces
and three in larger pieces.
I put screw eyes in either side of the vertical bars.
These will hold a piece of picture wire to support the
unit on the wall. The screw eyes are located about 1/3
of the way down from the top. They are drilled with the
1/8" bit with a collar to prevent it from coming
through.
Once the stretcher is assembled I go over the front carefully
with the sander to insure the lip and corners are smooth
where they will touch the canvas.
On my 48” pieces I put one cross piece in the middle.
The 72” gets two cross pieces and the 96” gets three.
These are long narrow images. Larger rectangular pieces
need cross braces to prevent the bars from bowing inwards
from the pull of the canvas.
The other option is to buy pre-made stretchers. They are
nice but they are rather overpriced and can't be cut to
length due to their dove tailed corner design.
Print Master Layout
My prints have corner crop marks, a studio chop mark and
show my copyright and edition type on the border of the
image.
As these images have a certain amount of overwork the
crop marks are invaluable to getting the print on the
stretchers with the exact cropping.
I have been using the 1x2 to make deep stretchers where
the print has 2” of overwork on all sides as shown in
these illustrations.
The print is wrapped so that it completely covers the
edge.
As is the case with most photos I don't have that kind
of overwork in the original. Simply clone brush the overwork
onto a layer in the print master. This allows for a very
nice looking frameless glassless presentation.
I set my masters up at 180 DPI at size and find this resolution
to be fine with canvas prints. Canvas supports less detail
then smooth papers so you don't notice the slight limitation
of the 180 DPI resolution. I have tried masters with higher
resolution and don't really see the difference in the
print. This is especially true at the normal viewing distance
for larger prints.
Stretching
Tools:
Electric T50 staple gun
6mm T50 staples
X-Acto knife with #11 blade
Cork backed metal ruler
Cutting surface
Soft cloth
Picture wire
I use an electric staple gun with 6mm T50 staples and
a pair of Fredrix Stretcher Pliers to stretch and fix
the print onto the bars.
I trim the print to have 1/2 to 3/4" white borders
prior to stretching. This is done with an X-Acto knife
with a #11 blade and a long cork backed metal ruler on
a cutting surface.
The work area is then covered with soft cloth. I have
several fleece kids blankets on which I stretch prints.
This is important as the canvas can be damaged easily
during stretching.
The print is gently marked on the back with a soft lead
pencil to indicate the crop marks. This is done face down
on the cloth covered surface.
Orient the stretcher with the inset down on the back of
the print and gently fold the canvas up on each side to
check your positioning. Adjust stretcher position as necessary.
Make sure the top of the stretcher is at the top of the
print. I usually mark the top of the stretcher when I
build it.
With the print in position fold up one side of the long
dimension and place a single staple in the middle on the
back of the bar. Go to the other side of the long dimension
and pull the canvas in the middle with the pliers until
it forms a ridge down the middle. Place another staple
to hold it taut. Don't go overboard with the tightness
but there should be a noticeable ridge in the center of
the canvas running from staple to staple.
On the short dimension gently pull in the middle and place
the first staple. Go to the opposite side and pull with
the pliers until there is a cross shaped ripple in the
middle of the print.
Working on the long dimension pull gently on one side
and put a few staples on either side of the center staple
about 1 inch apart. Then go to the other side and pull
with the pliers opposite the staples you put in the other
side until the canvas is tight and smooth. Place staples
opposite the staples you added to the other side. Repeat
this process on the short dimension of the canvas.
Repeat this tightening going back and forth until you
come to within a few inches of the corners on all sides.
Do not staple closer then 2 inches to the corners yet...
If you have a nice amount of tension you will hear a tympanic
sound when you gently tap the middle of the print. In
other words it will make a drum like bungggggg and then
ring when you tap it. If it goes thud with no musical
ring it is a little too loose.
If you over pull with the pliers you can crack the emulsion
and dye on the canvas. I have yet to do this but I heard
it could happen.
The corners are a little tricky but I think the pictures
will make it all clear. I fold the corners so that the
fold is on the top and the bottom of the unit as the edges
are what is generally visible.
First gently fold the corner excess going straight out
from the corner. I smooth the fold with my fingers to
create a crease.
Fold the resulting triangle towards the top or bottom
of the picture and press it against the stretcher to gently
bend it in that direction. Fold the end of the triangle
over on the inside.
While pulling with your fingers on the corner fold it
across the back of the stretcher and pull it tight. Use
a staple to hold it in place.
Then I fold the edge so that it has a 45 degree crease
and press it against the back of the bar, use a staple
diagonally across the fold to hold it in place. One more
staple completes the corner. I then will pull the canvas
and staple it in the 2 inch area between the corner and
the part that is already stapled.
This process is repeated for all 4 corners with the folds
going onto the top and the bottom of the piece. |
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| Working with canvas photographs |
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| Using Pony clamps and hot
glue |
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| Inset on front of stretcher |
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| The first staples pull
a ridge |
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| More staples are applied
in an opposing pattern |
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| Starting a corner |
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| Folding onto top or bottom
of picture |
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| Folding the tip over |
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| Staple to the back of bar
at the edge of the fold |
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| The last fold |
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| The finished corner |
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| A completed 72" x
18" print |
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