Digital to canvas is Expensive (1 Viewer)

[Narel]

Hey peoples

I was ringing up some places to see how much it cost to get my digital work printed onto canvas. I want to get 5 artworks printed by 1 metre square each, just for 1 it will cost $200.

Be good if my school would pay for it, though my teacher said she would help me find a place to print it off but she didn't.

As a last resort i can get them printed on A4 glossy paper, and just frame it, it cost $30 a print or something for A4 glossy at BigW.

Anyone else getting digital work printed, and what way are you doing this by?

 

[etc. etc. etc.]

Firstly, $30 each for A4 glossy prints is ridiculous. You should be able to find a friend with a really high quality printer, and buy some glossy photo paper yourself. I have a $200 Canon printer and the photos are flawless - you can't tell the difference between them and professionally printed ones.

Secondly, glossy paper isn't always your friend. You'd be better off using some nice lustre paper, I recommend Kodak Professional Inkject Photo Paper - Lustre. A shiny glossy surface just doesn't do some works justice, and looks downright wrong on some things.

And last, what is your reason for printing on canvas? This seems to be a popular choice, and in some circumstances it works well - but you need to think about the texture of it. Will canvas texture work with your artwork? Or would a nice smooth photo paper surface do it more justice? For instance, if you were doing really shiny futuristic digital works - the canvas texture would be a strange contrast and make the work look a little odd. They'd look much better printed on some high quality gloss or lustre paper, and mounted on a simple black surface.

Remember that paying big bucks for printing isn't going to bring you more marks, and just because printing on canvas is popular doesn't mean it will actually work with your artwork. Then again, you may have already considered that and your work could very well be appropriate for canvas printing. Just a suggestion/observation.

Anyway, good luck with it. Luscious Llama may be able to help you with suggestions for the canvas printing.

 

[luscious-llama]

Hey peoples

I was ringing up some places to see how much it cost to get my digital work printed onto canvas. I want to get 5 artworks printed by 1 metre square each, just for 1 it will cost $200.

Be good if my school would pay for it, though my teacher said she would help me find a place to print it off but she didn't.

As a last resort i can get them printed on A4 glossy paper, and just frame it, it cost $30 a print or something for A4 glossy at BigW.

Anyone else getting digital work printed, and what way are you doing this by?

Hi there. I got 4 digital works printed on canvas as the nature of my work was pre raphaelite styled.

Firstly - Try and find a smaller company with a large format printer that may do that for you. Seriously you should only be paying around $122 for a 1mx 1m canvas. My boyfriend actually found prices for a metre by a metre for $85 on canvas. I actually went with a Grammar School. Newcastle Grammar School.

DO not go to BigW or Domayne for canvas printing or .. they are a bloody rip off as they are commercial.

You will also need some sort of fixative/estapol to fix your canvas so it doesn't flake. This is the suckiest part. Seriously. I would have chosen something else if I had known this would occur... the spray we got didn't even spray evenly, so its off to try some estapol. Bah.

Secondly, what are you printing exactly?
As etc etc etc has suggested, your work may not suit canvas? Do not under any circumstances unless it's a last final resort get your 1m x 1m works printed glossy at BigW. Other papers and things are available in the large format size.
Alternate types of printing:
Cloth
Glossy
Matte
Satin Lustre
Fine art textured
Fine art smooth

There are heaps more. No way should you be paying $30 an A4 print.

If you're in my area (Newcastle, Central coast) I can recommend a few places to you that are very reasonably priced.

However if you're in Sydney, i'm really not sure I'm sorry!!


Oh and as for Etc Etc etc's suggestion of Kodak paper. No. Don't go with that.
BAD.
Epson archival papers are the best papers as they are of the highest quality.
Give me a Pm if there is anything else you need to know?
Best of Luck
Llama

 

[etc. etc. etc.]

Oh and as for Etc Etc etc's suggestion of Kodak paper. No. Don't go with that.
BAD.

Haha Llama, I know Kodak papers are bad, but this was a really expensive pack on their 'Professional' line, and it actually works really well on my home printer (I think we have the same printer, actually!) But yes, I wouldn't suggest any of their standard or 'premium' papers - much yucky.

It was suggested as an alternative to $30 A4 prints at Big W :uhhuh:

 

[Narel]

Thanks etc. etc. etc. luscious-llama for your help. I live on the goldcoast and the clock is ticking to get this printed, i have been searching heeps, but most places are just rip offs, best i found was a place that can print all 5 artworks for about $300-400 on the one canvas (not sure of size).

I think maybe your idea that a futuristic digital painting would look good on shiny or lustre (i will have to check this 1 out, havnt heard of it) paper, and all 5 could be put on a board.

Also i made a mistake i was thinkign A4 was A3 for a little while, and i got a printer that can print A4 pretty good, but i havnt found a place that does A3 or higher.

Im still hunting for methods to get my work printed off, shouldn't be so hard with all the places that do it.

But its between my own printing (finding good paper) or the hobo canvas place

 

[biggie walls]

Goldcoast? so do you do the Queensland High School Certificate??????

Anyway, I got two 500mm x 700mm digital prints done at COFA in Sydney city, for $76 together... pretty good as they are non-profit/only to benefit students...

The most costly thing for me has been the block mounting which is costing $165!! not that bad though all things considered

 

[luscious-llama]

Goldcoast? so do you do the Queensland High School Certificate??????

Anyway, I got two 500mm x 700mm digital prints done at COFA in Sydney city, for $76 together... pretty good as they are non-profit/only to benefit students...

The most costly thing for me has been the block mounting which is costing $165!! not that bad though all things considered

I'm cheap and the block mounting consisted of frames from pre-primed canvases purchased from Go-Lo.
My father and I resized them through... then we've stapled the canvas around them with the ye old crazy staple gun. *clicks trigger*. Currently my father and I have to mount the last canvas onto the frame, then varnish these babies.... WITH ESTAPOL :|

Canvas Matte Prints: $230
Frames: $50
Time: Infinite
Estapol tin $12
Inkjet varnish that didn't work and ran out: $22
Petrol: $50 (poor dad having to cart me around)

 

[biggie walls]

haha yeah damn expensive! can we claim this as a tax expense? hahaha - lol my parents bought me this huge art folio thing to cart mine around it, I told them "dont worry the school probably has one I can borrow" and they went off a just got one, then come back and say "this cost $100 so you better get some good use out of it!" hahaha

 

[luscious-llama]

haha yeah damn expensive! can we claim this as a tax expense? hahaha - lol my parents bought me this huge art folio thing to cart mine around it, I told them "dont worry the school probably has one I can borrow" and they went off a just got one, then come back and say "this cost $100 so you better get some good use out of it!" hahaha

Hahahah, i'm sure if you don't use it ever again you can like sell it to some university art student you'll get use out of it...

I need to see if I can find myself a huge art folio for my prints. I shall post pictures of them in the other forum "BOW pics"

 

[luscious-llama]

Haha Llama, I know Kodak papers are bad, but this was a really expensive pack on their 'Professional' line, and it actually works really well on my home printer (I think we have the same printer, actually!) But yes, I wouldn't suggest any of their standard or 'premium' papers - much yucky.

It was suggested as an alternative to $30 A4 prints at Big W :uhhuh:

Me loves you. Okay. I have a Canon Pixma ip5000
if we have the same one then we're UBER THE SAME!
(etcx3 and I have the same birthday, camera and interests..SKF rock!)

I shall maybe try that some day. But ive taken on my fathers advice to only use water resistant papers just incase those silly friends of mine stick their wet fingers on my prints! Lawl.

 

[etc. etc. etc.]

I have a Canon Pixma iP4200 - so close, yet so far!

 

[luscious-llama]

I have a Canon Pixma iP4200 - so close, yet so far!

Ah close enough

 

[frazzle]

I feel your pain. I got my majorwork printed for $550. It was 7 x 1.5m long full colour prints on canvas. I did it at COFA, and after a lot of research around kinkos, copycentres etc, that seemed to be the place with the best price.

You don't have to spend a fortune though, I got another project printed at COFA for $6, it was full colour on A3 matte card, which looked pretty expensive, but surprising, it wasn't.

 

[etc. etc. etc.]

You don't have to spend a fortune though, I got another project printed at COFA for $6, it was full colour on A3 matte card, which looked pretty expensive, but surprising, it wasn't.

Wow, that's a great price. I'll have to look into getting some prints of my photos from there (kinda sick of the A4 from my printer). And hey, matte is better than gloss anyway!

 

[frazzle]

Definitely worth a look.

If anyone finds anywhere that does cheaper printing on canvas / large format printing, let me know!

 

[luscious-llama]

Definitely worth a look.

If anyone finds anywhere that does cheaper printing on canvas / large format printing, let me know!

Hahahaha Newcastle Grammar?
And this other place around me But they're a bit far out of your way I think...