Wrap It Up

I recently evaluated a roll of Museo Paper's Maestro Canvas Paper and was blown away with the results using my inkjet printer. The colors reproduced were accurate and vibrant, the image seems to jump off the canvas with a three dimensional quality and the detail is amazing. Museo Maestro comes in both matte and glossy versions. For my evaluation and personal preference I printed with the glossy version. I won't bore you with all the technical mumbo jumbo about the paper here. If you want to know more, just follow the link above.

After printing the images, I had to address how I was going to mount and present them, I suppose I could have gone the traditional route of matting and framing, but this would not do them justice. My solution was a gallery wrap. While they have been common in galleries and museums for quite some time, they have grown in popularity for in-home presentation in recent years. The canvas is stretched over and around the sides of a wooden frame system leaving clean edges and corners as well as the image "revealed" on all four sides. Wraps come in a variety of sizes and thicknesses (how far they stand out from the wall) ranging from 3/4" to 4". My first attempt at wrapping was a 12"x18"x1 1/4".

(Photo Courtesy of Canvas on Demand)

Things I like about the wraps:

• The Canvas.This stuff is amazing. Not all images lend themselves to printing on canvas. Landscapes, animals and architecture look very nice on this media. Portraits would work in certain special situations such as a bridal portrait or family/group shot. While I really like how the original image appears on the canvas, special after effects can be applied to the image on the computer prior to printing that can give it the appearance of a painting.

• Lower in-place cost. A gallery wrap comes ready-to-hang. In most cases this can be a substantial savings over traditional framing.

• No special hardware required. Gallery wraps are very light weight. No need for heavy duty nails and hangers.


• Distinctive appearance. Gallery wraps provide a focal point in any room and any decor. In a traditional room setting they add a classic look and feel while in contemporary room settings they provide a clean, modern accent.


• Multiple panel displays. Images can be enlarged and printed on multiple panels. This can create a unique look on large wall spaces such as over a sofa. This also allows the collector to purchase panels one at a time if desired thus spreading their investment out over three or four purchases.

(Photo Courtesy of Canvas on Demand)

While I am not abandoning the traditional matted and framed prints, for those certain images and special applications, the gallery wrap is a great alternative.