Pricing blank stretched canvas

[darlingm]

Looking for feedback on how a canvas printing company should price stretched blank canvases, for someone to paint on.  (Uncoated.)  Thinking some other canvas printing companies may have thought through this.

Obviously, the price isn't going to be competitive with from-China mass-produced blanks.  But, in sizes that ship at FedEx OS3 (like a properly packaged 38x38 canvas or larger) or that require trucking, perhaps the local-pick-up price would be less than the cheap product shipped.

Also, unless the canvas printing company starts stocking artist-grade canvas, it's going to be a more expensive canvas since it has the inkjet-receptive coating.


My idea is to stretch Breathing Color Lyve, blank, uncoated, unless volume of this picked up enough (doubt it) to warrant getting artist canvas.  Not looking for this to be a big product, mostly looking to help out existing clients get away from trucking shipping fees.

But, I'm totally stuck on what to price it at.  As a benchmark, let's say a 38x38x1.5 printed, coated, stretched canvas is $250.

[Paul2660]

Not being a painter, but having worked with hundreds of them over the years, I am not sure Lyve would be a good solution for a artist.  Much tighter weave and the inkjet receptor coating come to mind.  Plus most artists will want to paint gesso on the canvas, first, and again not sure how that will work.

Lyve is a cotton ploy blend, with a much harder "hand" than the canvas that I have seen used for painting.

But, your price point definitely seems to be more than fair for that sized priced, pre stretched.

Paul

[hugowolf]

When I wasn't stretching and gessoing my own, I would buy stretched and gessoed. I don't know how much of a market there is for pre-stretched without gesso.

Brian A

[mstevensphoto]

I'm not sure why you'd use an inkjet canvas to paint on unless you were doing a mixed media and painting over a photo. Even avoiding the from china ones the canvas you propose can be had much less expensively at any art store.

if it's something you really want to sell, get raw canvas and gesso it or just stretch it and let the artists gesso it. cost per square foot should be much less. There are so many suppliers of ready-to-paint canvas that I don't ever see being reasonably competitive on price and making a profit unless you're talking about a factory scale operation.

lyve is 3-4x the cost of unstretched canvas AND it may not be the best surface to paint on. If you're just helping a friend, buy primed unstretched canvas from Dick Blick and stretch it for them.