Stretching or Mounting Canvas Prints
Your canvas prints are supplied with one of the following options.
- Rolled Only - Your canvas is supplied unstretched and unmounted. We recommend this option as the most economical and safest for overseas delivery. We automatically include a 50mm white border to enable stretching later unless one of the other border options are selected..
- Stretcher Frame - Stretching is the most popular method of presentation. We offer you the choice of three different thicknesses of stretcher bar. Choose the one that best suits you - 18mm deep, 32mm deep, 42mm or 50mm bar - see examples at right. Our stretcher bars are bevelled and rounded on all corners to provide the best finish for inkjet prints.
- Mounted - Have your canvas print mounted on 5mm foamcore. This method can be used for framed canvas prints or for presentations that do not require stretching.
While we can print canvas up to 1.5m wide and 12m long, our stretcher bars are limited to 3m as a maximum length. For strength and stability, we recommend that any print over 1m on either side be framed on the 42/50mm reversible bar. Prints larger than 3m in length can still be stretched but it would require that you obtain the services of a tradesperson to custom build the frame.
There is another option to one large stretched canvas and that is printing the image in sections and framing each individually such as for a tryptich. Contact us for more information.
Important Note - Our Stretcher bars are made from kiln-dried and finger-jointed Queensland regrowth timber - the environmentally friendly bars, as opposed to timbers like Meranti and the chinese imports which use irreplaceable rainforest timbers.
Canvas Coatings
All canvas prints supplied by Inkjet Lab are coated with at least two coats of Aquathane, a spray laminate with UV inhibiting and anti-fungal qualities. Aquathane is designed and made in Australia specifically for our canvas. You can choose from a Gloss, Satin or Matte finish with Satin being the most popular.
Current laboratory testing shows a 60% increase in longevity for canvas prints coated with Aquathane.
Art and Photo Paper Prints
The substrates available for mounting paper prints are almost as varied as the papers themselves. We've selected some of the most popular types and listed examples of how they might be used.
- Foam-core - Foam-core has been around for some time and is a wonderful product for mounting prints. It is the least expensive mounting option and the lightest. Care must be taken as it can easily be dented or crushed but once in a frame it works very well. Foam-core is available in 5mm and 10mm thickness.
- Customwood - Customwood or MDF board has been around a long while now and is more robust than Foam-core but is not as archival. It is great when you need something stronger than Foam-core with a bit more weight but does not need to be archival - for short term displays etc.
- Aluminium Composite Board - This product offers the smoothiest, glossiest finish available to photographers. We use 3mm Alubond and a high gloss laminate to achieve a glass-like finish.
Mounting and Laminating
We also offer a mounting and laminating service for photo-style prints and signage products. Laminating involves applying a pressure sensitive adhesive plastic coating over the print creating a solid barrier between the print and externa forces. Laminating material is available in Sand (lightly textured), Gloss or Ultra Gloss. While this form of lamination is quite robust, care should always be taken when handling prints in any form.
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