Canvas prints offer a beautiful way to display your favorite art or photo in your home, whilst using the best online services can help you add a distinctive texture and striking colors to the final piece.
Aside from which imagery to choose, there are various aspects for you to consider before investing in and finalising your new canvas. Small touches like editing your photo, choosing the right canvas shape, and picking an appropriate frame depth can have a big impact on the final look of your artwork.
In this article, we’ll discuss the most popular of these so you’re fully in the know before making contact with a canvas printer. With these five simple tips, you can easily create a stunning canvas print for your wall.
- First thing's first...make sure you use one of the best canvas print services
1. Make sure it’s wall-worthy
Perhaps the most important part of creating a canvas print is to choose the right photo. You’ll see the print hanging in your home every single day for years to come, so make sure you pick a photo that’s truly worthy of hanging on your wall.
That means taking a critical eye to any image you’re considering for print. Is the subject in focus? Is the horizon straight? Be sure to zoom into your image to check for any mistakes that might drive you crazy once the photo is blown up and on display in your home - you can always use a photo editor to make any necessary tweaks and airbrushes...
2. Touch up your image
Just about any photo can benefit from a quick touch-up. Digital editing tools can allow you to lighten shadows, add contrast, and make the colors in your image pop. The changes may look subtle on your computer, but the difference in your print’s quality can be significant.
If you don’t have a favorite editing software, don’t worry. Most online canvas print services have basic photo editors that you can use when submitting your image for printing. This is also a good chance to crop your photo to fit your canvas shape if needed.
And no...this isn't cheating! As we say above, you're going to be living with this print for the foreseeable future in all its glory. So make the most of it.
3. Choose the right canvas style
Canvas prints come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. When choosing a canvas design, there’s more to think about than just the size of the space you have for hanging.
Ideally, the shape of your canvas should match the crop of your image. If you have a full-length image of a person, for example, orienting your canvas as a portrait rather than a landscape makes a lot of sense. If you’re printing a panorama, an extra wide canvas shape will work best.
As for the canvas itself, you can spend a little more and really up the quality. While more budget-friendly services may offer nylon or cotton, a premium provider like Mixbook will let you crank things up to gallery-quality standard.
4. Pick a high-resolution photo
Before you blow up a photo you took on your camera phone to a wall-sized canvas, it’s important to think about resolution. The higher the resolution of your image, the larger the canvas you can print on without losing detail. If you try to blow up a low-resolution image, you might end up with a blurry or pixelated print.
If you’re not sure what resolution you need for your artwork, check with your photo gifts service. Any decent printer should be able to tell you the minimum image resolution you will need for a given print size.
5. Decide on frame depth
The wooden frame that canvas prints are mounted on can vary in depth. Some canvas prints have just half an inch of frame behind them, while others have several inches.
In general, shallower frames are good for small canvas prints. Thicker frames can lend larger prints some added visual depth and allow them to stand out from the wall. If you’re hanging multiple canvas prints together on a single wall, make sure that they all have the same frame depth.
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