The Care and Feeding of Canvas | Chapel Hill Photographer

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a lovely weekend :)  I received a couple of canvases that my clients have ordered this weekend and thought I'd do a quick post on how to choose and care for a canvas print.Canvas is a pretty popular way to display photos these days. In addition to a clean, modern look, it's an economical way to put big art on your walls since it requires no additional framing or glass. Additionally, professional canvas labs use archival inks and canvas in the printing process, then treat the canvas with a UV- and water-protective spray that gives a well cared-for canvas a 200-300 year lifespan. Some things to consider when purchasing a canvas:

• Depth - canvas can be wrapped around a thick or thin frame, which will, in turn, determine how far the canvas stands out from the wall. My personal preference is for a mid-range 1.5-1.75in depth, which I think has a great presence on the wall without taking up too much room.
• Framing - canvas can be wrapped around thin wooden frames or solid wood blocks. The benefit to the frames is that they're lightweight and easy to hang and move; the blocks are heavier, but provide better protection against warping, especially if the image will be hung in an environment with high or variable humidity.
• Materials - as with everything, not all canvases are created equal. Look for canvases that have been printed using acid-free inks onto museum-quality canvas and treated with UV and water protection to avoid premature color fading, splitting, and sagging.
• Gallery Wrap vs. Solid Edge - Gallery wrapped canvases are printed edge to edge and the wrapped around the frame, so the picture itself continues around the edges (like the vertical image below). Solid edge is when the image is printed on the front of the canvas and the wrapped edges are a solid color (usually white or black - like the top left image below). This can be an aesthetic choice, or made based on the size and cropping of the image.

(I put that bottom left image in there just to show off this new - new to me, at least - beehive-style hanger. They're genius and foolproof and making hanging things level a total breeze :D)

Finally: how to care for that gorgeous canvas once you have it hanging on your wall:

• Even though it's been UV and moisture protected, I would try to hang your canvas out of direct sunlight and high humidity.
• Don't place your canvas right near a high heat source like a radiator - the wooden frame can split if it gets too dry.
• Dry-dust your canvas every 1-2 weeks to keep it clean. If required, use a damp (not wet) cloth to gently spot clean. NEVER use sprays or chemicals to clean your canvas as they can destroy the ink and finish of the canvas.
• If your canvas starts to loosen, it can be taken to a frame shop for tightening.
• When moving or storing your canvas, wrap in bubble wrap and keep it upright to avoid crushing and scratching.

That's about it! Canvas is an easy and attractive way to show off those gorgeous images. If you're interested in scheduling a session or ordering a canvas from your past session so we can hang one of these pretty babies in your home, drop me a line (just use the contact form in the menu above)!

xox,

annemie