Anybody have very recent rolls of BC Chromata or Lyve canvas?

[bill t.]

Would appreciate hearing about the surface texture and sharpness of very recent 36" and 44" rolls of BC Chromata White and Lyve.  I don't care about stretching characteristics, I glue mount.  The roll remnants I have now are pretty old and manufacturers' canvas textures change a lot over time.  The Chromata and Lyve textures on those rolls are a LOT different and so are the substrate feel!

I need a sharp printing canvas which means fairly fine textured.  My normal suppliers have dropped the ball recently.  So I'm thinking about trying BC again since they at least seem to be consistently well stocked.  THX!

[langier]

Just tried a sample of Lyve in the past few weeks along with Fredrix 777. The Lyve seems pretty similar to the Fredrix with a consistent texture and bright white great for photos. Either seems better than the Epson canvas in quality, color, texture. I've pretty well settled on the Fredrix 777 since I can usually get it overnight and my supplier is on the ball and has been able to answer all my questions since he uses the products he sells.

[bill t.]

Thanks langier.

How has the QC been with the 777?  I stopped using it after chronic problems with rolls kind of wandering left and right as much as 1/2 inch during the wind up at the factory, which allowed curls to develop along the edge of the rolls and sometimes prevented making long prints due to skew errors.  Have you seen any of that lately?  Was mainly a problem with the 24" rolls.

[langier]

Hi Bill,

Just started using it in the past few months and have used a few rolls of 24 and a 44 inch roll for some test images for a large canvas job still in negotiations...

So far, no issues with the winding of the canvas and even uncoated. It stretches well and can easily be dry mounted in a press with excellent results.

I just liquid laminated several of our sample prints and that will add pop the colors and enrich the blacks, somewhat. I'm using an Epson 9800 with PK and both my client and pitchman both are impressed with the results.

The only issues I can tell you about are that the canned profiles I found for the 777 made the prints pink, thus I ran my own with a Munki and that profile is much better. After flood lamination, the prints did curl when they dried, but I was also pushing the limits by doing that process in an unheated and cold garage on a rainy day. Overall, though, the prints looked great after coating. I expect them to look even better once they have been pressed onto foam board.

Had Breathing Color responded to my inquiries regarding lamination and processing, perhaps I would have gone with them. But, as I said earlier, I get great support from Rick at Coastal Giclee in Monterey, Calif.