Printing Photos on Canvas - Your Guide to Taking Your Photography Business to the Next Level

As a photographer, it's important to constantly seek out ways to increase profits while maintaining high quality. Pursuant to that goal, many photographers are now gravitating towards printing on canvas. The math is simple: Photo canvas prints produce greater profit margins than photos on art paper. That means that photographers generate more revenue per print, and that leads to a more impressive bottom line. The main factor behind this statement is the fact that producing a stretched museum grade art print costs less than a framed photo with mate and glass.

Most photographers realize the benefits of producing prints on canvas, but lack the knowledge to create these great pieces of art. They do, however, know that frame shops charge substantial fees for the service.

On the other hand, most photographers know where to find inexpensive frames, mate, and glass. They can then put these components together to create a saleable piece of art. If these professionals knew how to stretch canvas, they would most assuredly utilize the medium to benefit from the potential for a greater profit margin.

Photographers should also consider the fact that canvas prints can be hung on a wall without a frame. These are generally referred to as "gallery wrapped" prints. By wrapping the canvas around an internal frame, a canvas professional creates a powerful 3D effect with great appeal to the eye. That means that gallery wrapped prints can be sold without a frame for a comparable price, saving the artist the expensive materials and time needed to frame a piece.

That said, there a few additional factors to consider in regards to stretching fine art canvas. The most important are the materials you choose to work with.

-Canvas: Your canvas needs to have superb imaging properties. Mate canvas is generally held to be superior to gloss or semi-gloss canvas. Mate canvas calls for mate black ink in your printer. It's important that the canvas does not crack around the edges.

-Sealer: A good sealer is essential to the canvas printing process. When sealer is applied to the surface, it causes the canvas to become more malleable. Along with high quality canvas, a good sealer will prevent all cracking.

Stretcher Bar: Stretcher bars need a raised lip to prevent ghosting. Ghosting is created when the canvas presses against the stretcher bar. This results in a visible line on the printed side. Cedar is regarded as the most effective wood to use for stretcher bars.

This process may sound complex to the neophyte canvas framer. Worry not, however; you're not alone. There's no need to learn from trial and error. At Zazagallery you'll find a clear, concise demonstration of each part of the process. If you're looking to learn to print on canvas, you won't find a better resource on the Net. Additionally, the owner of this site is happy to assist anyone looking for help with printing on canvas.

Making the transition from mate prints to printing on canvas could be the way to dramatically increase profits from your photography sales. Your art is ready for the next step. Take it to a higher level by investigating the benefits of printing photos on canvas.