Large print advice

[Greg D]

A friend of mine wants to make a big print, possibly up to 4' x6'. I think he's got the files to do it (he shoots an A7r and also has scanned 4x5 and 8x10 images - not sure which he'd be using) and he's well aware of the ppi & viewing distance limitations he'll run into. He wants to do a frameless mount (either wrapped canvas or paper on a substrate such as gatorboard). I can't really advise him as I've never printed bigger than 16x24 and just done traditional framing. Questions are:

1) What are the pros/cons of the mounting methods mentioned for a large print?
2) What other alternatives are there?
3) Can you recommend any labs for this kind of job? (We're in North Carolina, so southeast US would be good, but guess any US location would work.)

Thanks for any help!

[bill t.]

Could go on and on.

But let's keep it simple.  Wrapped canvas will be your easiest alternative.  I say this because I mount prints on gator and aluminum composite panels all the time.  The good news is those look great.  The bad news is they require super careful careful handing (gator has extremely delicate edges) or they are egregiously heavy, as with Dibond.  Either of those also requires bracing on the back, which in the case of Dibond requires considerable mojo to do safely.

Wrapped canvas is easy to fabricate, lightweight, surprisingly resistant to handing mishaps, and cheap.  Enormous canvases can be moved by removing the staples, rolling up the print, disassembling the bars, and shipping the whole thing rolled in a tube for very few dollars.  Ignore all aspersions that will be caste by those who will speak of placemats.  With a good print and a properly varnished surface they can look fabulous on the wall next to anything else.

[pearlstreet]

I use Digital Silver Imaging in Boston for larger prints. They do a great job and offer a lot of media choices. www.digitalsilverimaging.com

[Peter McLennan]

I agree with everything bill t says about stretched canvas. I have no experience with the other presentations he mentions.

I've printed and stretched a couple of dozen large canvas prints in the last few years. They average six feet in the long dimension and look great. Even made my own frames.  If you have the pixels, big prints are very satisfying.

[Sedonamike9]

Bill. what is your favorite canvas and overcoat? Do you overcoat with a brush or spray gun?

[mearussi]

If you want to keep it as simple and cheap as possible have him print it on PhotoTex, a canvas type material with a repositional self-adhesive back coating that makes mounting to any smooth surface a breeze. Just peal the back paper off and stick it on and if you make a mistake just pull it off and try again.

It's usually used for walls and large room size displays for advertisements but comes in many sizes. I put mine on either clear acrylic or thin aluminum, but Gatorboard would work well too. It's matte but a glossy or satin coating can easily be applied.