Canvas
Canvas is measured in gsm’s which stands for grams per square metre. The rule of thumb is the higher the gsm, the better the quality as it means you get a thicker more durable canvas that can absorb more ink and laminate. While many department stores and other providers print on anything down to 150gsm, here at Blue Horizon Prints we offer our customers nothing less than 390 gsm, we use an organic-based 100% cotton canvas giving the canvas a beautifully authentic, non-plastic look and feel unlike many other canvas printers in Australia and around the world (especially if its made in China) that use a poly-cotton that often has a shiny cheap look.
Frames
We now offer Framed Prints as well as our Stretched Canvas, Rolled Canvas and Paper Print options. The frames come as standard with a high-quality card mat.
The wooden frame is 50mm thick. We also use a card mat for the insides of Framed Prints, this is 20mm, for the smallest size frames, 12 x 18″ we don’t recommend a card mat as the art will be very small, after the frame and mat, around 8 x 14″.
Here are the commercial framing specifications;
Frame Thickness available: 19mm / 32mm / 38mm
Mat thickness: 20mm
Matt widths vary according to the size of the artwork, small to A3 sizes the matt is 30mm, A3+ up to A1 its 50mm and larger is 100mm
Wood: Kiln Dried Framing Pine
Colours available: Pine, White and Black
Finish: Rebated Round Edge
Printer & Inks
Epson Stylus Pro 9900
We use Epson Stylus Pro 9900 printers, created for wide format high quality digital printing.
The new Epson 9900 (44 inch) yields extraordinary results and incorporate the very latest in photographic ink jet technology.
With up to 2880 x 1440dpi printing, skin tones, gradients, colour saturation and black & whites have never looked better.
Be warned, large retailers and commercial printers rarely use pigment inks, usually settling for the cheaper quality inks from China. The result is a duller finish, lack of colour definition and rapid fading.
Laminate
A canvas should always be laminated as this protects your canvas from any fading, chipping and cracking, grubby finger smudges and fungal rot. A laminated canvas will last up to 3 times longer while still looking like you had it printed yesterday! Our laminates are carefully selected to maximise protection and keep colours rich while minimising any unwanted glossy sheen that are the results of cheaper laminate. Many canvas printers will skip this step to avoid paying for quality laminates and cut drying time. We have so much faith in the necessity to have good laminate that we include it free within the price.
Our laminates:
- Protect against dust, dirt and water damage
- Can be wiped with a wet cloth anytime
- Provide excellent protection against fading for up to 75 years
- Prevents UV damage
- Anti-fungal compounds
- Low sheen and 100% clear
- Protects against scratches, chips and cracking
Wrapping Choices
After uploading the photo and selecting size youd like, you then get to pick the wrap, this is the way in which the canvas is wrapped around the stretcher bars. We offer four wrap options;
Blur wrap; We blur the predominant colours from the canvas edges
Mirror wrap: We ‘mirror’ the last few cms of the canvas print, this is only suitable for landscapes and images where there are not too much detail at the edges of the front of the canvas.
Coloured wrap: We use a plain colour of your choice, either using white, black or a predominant colour from the canvas.
Gallery wrap: The old favourite where we simply wrap the image around the edges, this is a great look/effect but please bear in mind that you will lose a few cms off of each edge/side from the front of the canvas.\
Ordering Process & Turnaround times
Upload
The first step is to upload your order into the smart uploader. It will walk you through the process, analyse your image, check the DPI and suggest a frame size based on the size, shape and pixel quality of your image.
You may alternatively choose to post us the original photograph or CD or email us on photos@bluehorizonprinting.com.au.
Upload
The next step if ordering online is to view the proof, once uploaded you can immediately see what your image will look like. You then select your wrapping preference and if happy, approve the proof. You submit your credit card payment to our 100% secure system. Upon finalisation, we then email you a confirmation that your order has been accepted.
Printing and dispatching of your order
We then print, laminate, and frame your order, add wires so that it’s ready to hang, then dispatch your canvas based on your shipping preferences. Upon dispatch, we will notify you by email AND SMS if required.
We believe in a rapid turnaround here at Blue Horizon Printing. Once you’ve paid for the print we can have your canvas at your door within 24 hours if required.
Stretcher Bars
We use premium quality, thick kiln dried stretcher bars for all our Stretched Canvas Prints, we dont default to a cheap thin stretcher bar unless you dont pay the extra costs, we offer the best included in the price.