Framed canvas prints...to glaze or not to glaze?

[bill t.]

So what's the current best practice for presenting framed, coated, canvas inkjet prints...with or without glass or plastic glazing?

I've been using 1/8" Cyro Acrylite-FF for my drymounted paper prints, but I'm thinking about doing away with glazing altogether for my presumably tougher, well-coated canvas prints.  Apart from not paying for the sheet of plastic, I'm thinking the "oil-painting-bare" look will nudge people's art-o-meters over towards the "Buy" end of the scale.  I plan to use 2" linen liners between the frame and the stretched canvas so the the overall look is somewhat traditional.

The canvas sizes are in the 22" x 50" and larger range.

Any opinions?  Any anecdotes about how galleries feel about this?  Would appreciate your comments.

[Bruce Watson]

So what's the current best practice for presenting framed, coated, canvas inkjet prints...with or without glass or plastic glazing?
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Personally, I show coated canvas without glazing. I like the look, like the fact that it's cheaper, and like the fact that it's lighter and therefore easier to hang.

I take it a little further actually. I don't frame them anymore. Just a gallery wrap on stretcher bars. I print a black boarder around the image so that the edges of the stretched print are black. It hangs well and looks nice, and sticky little hand prints wipe off.

The rare ones that I have framed I used floater frames. Very nice look, clean and modern, shows off the print nicely. And floater frames don't take glazing so I'm still on topic.  

[eleanorbrown]

I don't use glazing on my large canvas prints either.  I stretch the canvas then frame using a matte black Neilson floater frame, available from american frame.  Eleanor

Personally, I show coated canvas without glazing. I like the look, like the fact that it's cheaper, and like the fact that it's lighter and therefore easier to hang.

I take it a little further actually. I don't frame them anymore. Just a gallery wrap on stretcher bars. I print a black boarder around the image so that the edges of the stretched print are black. It hangs well and looks nice, and sticky little hand prints wipe off.

The rare ones that I have framed I used floater frames. Very nice look, clean and modern, shows off the print nicely. And floater frames don't take glazing so I'm still on topic.   
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[framah]

One of the on going problems  we are having with stretching canvas giclees is that the material doesn't stay taught and quickly starts to sag. Not alot but it is noticeable.

In the framing world the general consensus is to dry mount the canvas down to foamcore or comparable material and then frame.

You can still dry mount it and then wrap the extra material around a stretcher frame to create the same look. If you don't want to spray seal it, it can be laminate coated with a matte laminate and it still looks like a canvas.

If you decide to just stretch it, make sure you add a piece of foamcore to the back of the stretcher to protect the canvas from poking from behind.

[SeanPuckett]

I stretch and frame, no glass, for the traditional painting look.  Framah's right -- giclee canvas will sag, even if you stretch the hell out of it.  At least, the cotton stuff I'm using sags.* I'm going to try some mixed fiber canvas and see how that holds up.

I don't have the equipment to dry mount giant canvases yet, although there is a market in used presses around here.  Business will warrant it sometime this year, I expect.

I also, however, doing more tapestry mounts, especially for very large vertically oriented prints.  It's an unusual look and is well received wherever I show it.  Also has the advantage of being extremely portable: just roll it up.  I get a little edge curl, which isn't too objectionable but I'm still working on ways of reducing it -- probably, again, trying that mixed fiber canvas will help.

* Typically what happens is that after a few months it goes from the tight drum to a sort of floppy one, but has no wrinkles or visual flaws.

[framah]

What do you mean by Tapestry mounts?

[bill t.]

I have dry mounted a few large canvases, any horror stories out there about that?

It sure is tempting to stretch them.  Right now all I have is a 26" x 34" dry mount press, so I need to dry mount the big canvases in sections.  This is actually quite a hassle with the "recommended for fabric" Fusion 4000 drymount tissue.  That stuff is "bonds as it cools" so it's important to weight it down immediately as it comes off the press.  That's a hassle when mounting sections so I have mostly used Colormount tissue which is "bonds when hot." That makes sectional mounting very easy, but it doesn't seem to grab the canvas quite as well as the Fusion stuff.  Gotta get a big vacuum press...and the floor space to put it on!

Have gotten great, ripple-free results from Colormount but I have no real idea what the longevity is going to be.  The encouraging thing is that the mounts so far have stayed perfectly flat, you can't tell them from stretched just by looking.

Yes I can see that floating big canvases is a good choice, and relatively economical even when using top quality moulding.  I still like the more traditional framing however, I sell a lot of stuff to people decorating their new adobe-style houses, and for those guys over sized textured wood and distressed gold are big sellers.

[SeanPuckett]

Framah: Clamp top and bottom of canvas in something decorative, and hang it.  My contemporary work looks nice with black wood dowels about 1 1/2 in diameter.  (I rip them in half on a table saw, put the canvas between, and screw it together every few inches tightly to prevent wrinkles.)

Bill: The Breathing Color guys claim you can use their glamour gloss as an adhesive; coat the substrate with it heavily, lay the canvas down carefully, and squeegee out the bubbles.  I have not tried this, but it's a possibility.

[Dward]

So what's the current best practice for presenting framed, coated, canvas inkjet prints...with or without glass or plastic glazing?


I've found an inexpensive and relatively easy method for mounting canvasses, which are then left unglazed.  I mount a sheet of hardboard or formica to the back of a deep stretcher (1.5") with contact cement and the use a trimmer bit in a router to finish the edge.    Next I position the canvas on the surface, matching edges that will be wrapped around the stretcher.  I then clamp one edge of the canvas to the stretcher and flip it back over itself and  coat the exposed portion hardboard or formica with a reversible acid-free glue (Mighty Muck) using a roller.  Then I release the clamps, flip the formerly clamped half back and coat the remaining surface with Mighty Muck.   Then I use a J roller to make sure there are no bubbles.   The Mighty Muck has a long working time, so if I make any errors, I can lift the canvas and readjust the postion (or remove any bits of debris that make noticeable irregularities in the finished canvas).   After allowing the glue to dry, I turn the piece over and wrap and staple the edges, on what is now the back of the piece.   Having the canvas mounted to a hard substrate obviates the sagging issue with stretched giclee canvas, and it also makes the piece much more durable---no chance of dents in the canvas from being accidentally poked.   It takes no more total time than stretching (at least for me).

David V. Ward, Ph. D.
www.dvward
David V. Ward Fine Art Photography

[bill t.]

Thanks for the Mighty Muck tip David!  I assume Miracle Muck is probably the same stuff.  That's a clever way to register the art.

I mounted a couple small canvases using Glamour II as an adhesive.  It worked out OK with the 24 x 36's, but you have to use a LOT of adhesive and work REALLY FAST!  There was basically no possibility of fixing a misalignment, you lose the tack if you pull it up and then try to get it down again, and doing so causes the canvas to buckle in a non-helpful way.  Got a larger print down just by the skin of my teeth, then gave it up.  If you plan to try this some sort of David-like registration scheme is highly recommended, possibly taping the print and substrate to a table top in proper alignment so the print can be quickly flipped onto the substrate.

If Mighty Muck gives longer working time and repositioning, then that would be a big improvement.  OK I probably wasn't using the right technique with the Glamour II, but even so it dries too fast for me.

What came into my mind regarding the sagging was an image of a canvas with grommets installed around the perimeter, bungee corded into a sort of trampoline frame.  Best to just forget that, methinks.

[Mark Lindquist]

So what's the current best practice for presenting framed, coated, canvas inkjet prints...with or without glass or plastic glazing?

I've been using 1/8" Cyro Acrylite-FF for my drymounted paper prints, but I'm thinking about doing away with glazing altogether for my presumably tougher, well-coated canvas prints.  Apart from not paying for the sheet of plastic, I'm thinking the "oil-painting-bare" look will nudge people's art-o-meters over towards the "Buy" end of the scale.  I plan to use 2" linen liners between the frame and the stretched canvas so the the overall look is somewhat traditional.

The canvas sizes are in the 22" x 50" and larger range.

Any opinions?  Any anecdotes about how galleries feel about this?  Would appreciate your comments.


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Putting canvas behind glass or plastic is a no-no.  Micro climates can develop.  The canvas is an open weave and traps more moisture than traditional paper substrates.  Dry mounting or vacuum press mounting is a good way to go (with archival materials) and framing by floating is often the most acceptable.  Unquestionably, markets determine framing styles and regions and cultures drive those decisions.  Architectural styles and interiors become the determining factor so I normally leave framing decisions to clients or designers.

Mark

[bill t.]

Architectural styles and interiors become the determining factor so I normally leave framing decisions to clients or designers.
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Although in my particular market, offering framed prints at art fairs greatly increased my sales of both framed and unframed prints to the point where those venues became very profitable.  Designers in particular like the framed stuff in the large sizes, saves them hassles with framing and transporting big art.  The trick is to have the right type of frames for the market.  Since I only sell locally that's easy for me, would probably do less well if I travelled elsewhere.

[printmaker]

So what's the current best practice for presenting framed, coated, canvas inkjet prints...with or without glass or plastic glazing?

putting canvas behind glass or plastic is sketchy at best.
most being of cotton (anywhere from 60-100%) it tends to need to "breathe" so to speak.

also (when in a frame) having the backside sealed off can cause moisture to build up...