Print on Canvas Woes...

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Emibub

Emibub

PFG, Picture Framing God
Joined
Nov 2, 2001
Posts
9,246
Loc
Centennial, CO, USA
I've got a print on canvas I'm trying to stretch and it continues to be wavy. I don't have access to keyed bars so I can't tighten it. It was pretty wavy before mounting and I feared this. Any ideas out in Grumbleland on how to get these waves out? I've considered dry mounting but I think the piece $500.
 
Kathy, I have run into a few of those from other suppliers (not the ones I print myself). I have had luck with a second stretch. The last one I let sit a week after the second stretch to see if it would relax again. It didn't so I fit it. I think the issue is with the canvas not being stretched when the coating to receive the ink is applied.
 
I glue them down to 8 ply with
http://apps.webcreate.com/ecom/catalog/product_listing.cfm?ClientID=15&CategoryFullID=107
[TABLE="class: catalogProductTable, width: 650"]
[TR]
[TD="class: catalogProductTableDescrCell, colspan: 2"]Lascaux Acrylic Adhesive 360 HV - A thermoplastic copolymer butyl-methacrylate dispersion thickened with acrylic butyl-ester. pH 8-9 and is biocide stabilized.Extremely elastic; the dry film remains permanently tacky. Can be used as a contact adhesive when doing hot-sealing linings. Water thinable, insoluble in water when dry. P...

with this you do not need a press or heat.[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
 
To be clearer this is an actual print applied to canvas. I assume it is waving because the canvas and print are fighting each other. Also, I don't have access to much so I can't glue it. Good idea though Randy.
 
Yes, that is a different animal all together. You're screwed. :faintthud:
 
I had one a couple of weeks ago with a price tag in the same range. Got it stretched drum tight, framed and ready for pick up. The next day the customer walked in to pick it up and as I retrieved it and turned it so he could see the finished product we both saw the same result. It had huge ripples throughout the canvas. I had to build a new set of bars and a new frame for it since the 2nd time I stretched it the thing was 3/4 inches larger than it's original size.

It had been signed and numbered in the 2 bottom corners and the image was very close to the top so there was no reusing the original framing materials. It was also close to being square that none of the original materials could be cut down for shorts.
 
Actually Anne, those look perfect. Unfortunately I can't order something not corporate approved. It's gotten wavier since posting this. I did what Dave suggested this morning I restrrtched it and it only looks worse. I may have to dry mount it......-.
 
I was just wondering whether this was synthetic canvas?

If not, your opinions on stretching a synthetic canvas would be appreciated. We seem to have a lot of them in New Zealand and I've been told that they don't stretch well, just keep stretching?

Cheers

Michele
 
Bummer. Good luck with it.

I hate it when a piece just doesn't want to cooperate. I'm still trying to get the oversized Chinese embroidery mounted. I did try dry mounting it but it won't stick down completely, so it's back to the Attach-ez. My lower back is killing me from bending over it since the only table big enough to work on it is a low one. :cry:
 
Kathy, I would not dry mount it.

You don;t know what heat will do to it

As I understand it is a print transfered to a canvas? Correct?? Then as Dave said, Your Screwed. That is a problem in the canvas being attached to the print improperly and the print is puckering the canvas or vice versa.
 
Kathy, is the piece a canvas transfer that has been laminated. If so go ahead and dry mount. If not, you could try putting a piece of foam board or mat board between the stretcher/strainer bars and the canvas and then restretch. For some reason this has worked for me when I couldn't seem to get the waves out. Also, you might want to do a relaxed stretch..just tight enough to to be smooth but not the usual tight of "real canvas.
 
The one I had recently was printed on canvas and laminated in a manner that would make many believe it was a transfer. Brightly colored and signed with metallic gold pen. A huge number of artists have been doing this with the belief that it can be properly stretched.

I recently had a photo from a beach photographer that had the DIY gallery wrap bars included with it. Customer brought it in and asked me to do the stretch since it shipped with the strips. As I saw it coming out of the box I told him if he wanted it as a wrap he would have to take somewhere else. He asked why and I explained so he said just do it so it will look right and stand the test of time. When I began to handle the item it was obvious it was polyester canvas and I was able to pull it to a distorted state with no effort.

As I was mounting it I could tell that the canvas was being distorted in the feeder as it was being printed. This stuff was so distorted it was nearly impossible to get it to lay flat out to the edges. There was at least a foot of waste image on all 4 sides of the children in the photo and he said I could adjust the size as needed.

This is just one more challenge we face as framers. Since I print myself I know what to expect but if we don't know what will go wrong ahead of time we are screwed. I've seen these stretched as gallery wraps in stores and photo studios and the ones they are showing look like trash. Consumers at the photo studios are not looking at the quality of the finished samples on the wall but once they are hanging in the homes the framer owns the work for life. If we are prepared for the future failures we can shut them down ahead of time. With no practical knowledge or experience the greatest amount of profit comes from turning the jobs down.
 
What a nightmare, Jeff. You're right. These days we just can't be certain what will be involved with some of these items.
I cringe whenever someone brings in an unstretched cliclee on "canvas". Usually they either present an experience like yours or the "canvas" stretches independently of the ink.
:faintthud: Rick
 
Rick, when we are the ones who did the original printing we know the properties of the canvas and can always print another if something goes wrong. Large format printers a inexpensive enough that anybody can by one and print away. Then they sell them to unsuspecting consumers and unfortunately as far as the artists/photographers are concerned the cheaper the materials the better. Then the framer is on the hook to break the bad news to the consumer about how misinformed the artist/photographer was.

Those of us who print can identify many problem materials but framers in general go through learning experiences as problems pop up. I hear all of the time how cheap they can get stuff printed so I have just quit printing on canvas for the majority of artists/photographers. By the time I could explain what can go wrong and why I won't participate I could complete a couple hundred dollars of framing.

Now as I have been prophesying for some time the gallery wraps they love for being cheap have brought back art by the yard. This is like the old Merra Mecca stuff from the 70's. Printed fabric with repeating patterns cut to any size you like for $4 per yard. Available in fabric shops and Wal-Mart across the country. I'm stretching one now that is 56"x72" that cost $12 for the fabric. The artists wanted cheap and China is glad to oblige.
 
That's the stuff. Guess I forgot how to spell it after 30 years. Plenty of others printing it nowadays too. They didn't believe me when I told them they would resurrect it by selling wraps. Fabric shops will even assemble stretcher strips and staple it on while you wait.
 
RParrish said:
I glue them down to 8 ply with
http://apps.webcreate.com/ecom/catalog/product_listing.cfm?ClientID=15&CategoryFullID=107
[TABLE="class: catalogProductTable, width: 650"]
[TR]
[TD="class: catalogProductTableDescrCell, colspan: 2"]Lascaux Acrylic Adhesive 360 HV - A thermoplastic copolymer butyl-methacrylate dispersion thickened with acrylic butyl-ester. pH 8-9 and is biocide stabilized.Extremely elastic; the dry film remains permanently tacky. Can be used as a contact adhesive when doing hot-sealing linings. Water thinable, insoluble in water when dry. P...

with this you do not need a press or heat.[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
Click to expand...
This brings you back here Kathy, this will work, it is reversible if need be. You just paint the glue on and press it down, done. NO heat no press no problem.
 
Emibub said:
I've got a print on canvas I'm trying to stretch and it continues to be wavy. I don't have access to keyed bars so I can't tighten it. It was pretty wavy before mounting and I feared this. Any ideas out in Grumbleland on how to get these waves out? I've considered dry mounting but I think the piece $500.
Click to expand...

We have a product you may have seen on the Grumble that can be used on any wood or aluminum frame that allows for the adjustment of the tension of canvas. They are BEST Corner Keys. Don't be afraid of breaking the corners if they are underpinned or staples as the Key will also hold it together. You can open the corners at least 1/8". They are reasonably priced. And, it literally is the turn of a nut. How large is the piece? Does it require cross braces? Our Cross Brace Brackets may help with the waves, too. Give me a call to discuss your options.
 
"actual print applied to canvas"

not completely sure what you're dealing with - is it a print on paper which has been applied to canvas

or is it printed directly on canvas and there's no paper?
 
It's actually a paper print on canvas. I spoke with the lady and told her I am not happy with the stretch. She told me a few ripples won't bother her. We'll see if she still feels that way when she picks it up........Thanks for all the ideas!
 
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