The Framers Forum

simple job, you'd think.

Stretch a canvas for a customer.

Im in the workshop gazing out of the window, trying to maintain some interest at the end of a long day, like you do.

Then the fateful word:

"Bugger"

I turn round and Al is standing there with a gallery wrapped canvas, with a thumb shaped white spot on one edge, and a corresponding coloured patch on his thumb.

Now I know that Al is scrupulous with these, clean hands, clean workbench, tools laid out like a surgeon, and takes so much care that I tear out what is left of my hair at how long he can take with his attention to detail. There are no solvents or anything near, and he does these every day with no problems at all. In fact We sent Al on a course with Mike Royall just so he knew how to dit it properly.

Im assuming this thing wasn't printed properly. But theres another £25 down the pan getting a replacement for the customer. I assume the original canvas was contaminated and the ink didn't "stick" in that part.

Is there some sort of minimum printing standard for this inkjet-on-canvas?

total bugger - suspect the inks used were water based - slightly sweaty mits would be enough to do the damage. I think i might chance persuading the customer that the canvas hadn't been finished properly - that had they hung it keeping it clean would have been an impossibility. - go back to gallery - whoever and moan until they give them a new one - preferably varnished.

I suppose this just shows that we have to understand the weakness of some of these canvases. - quick water test on an edge thats going to be hidden.

The special ink-jet compatible coating on some types of ink-jet canvas is not that well bonded to the canvas substrate. It only needs to adhere to your thumb slightly more than it adheres to the canvas and.......

So far I've not fallen foul of this problem, but I recently refused to clean an ink-jet canvas, because of the unknown risks involved. The customer bought it on eBay - Say no more!

you are right.
It completely escaped me that this thing was NOT VARNISHED.

Now you have to know which varnish is compatible with the inks used and the coating on the canvas, before you risk varnishing it.

There's gotta be an easier way to earn a living!

Thanks to Kev's unfortunate experience we have all been given fair warning re these canvasses. Nothing upsets a framer more than unforwarned and unforseen touchy surfaces.

Trouble is, the blame can end up at your door if not handled sensitively with the customer.

Vigilance at all times.

Any chance of a photo Kev?

I have seen some terrible prints output onto material - and I use that word deliberatley because some of the stuff they print on isnt canvas. I had a "canvas" edition from a very well known publisher that was printed on a material so thin that it had to be backed with paper - it visibly sagged when the weather changed and I anticipate that it wont last long. (it was already stretched)

The ink combinations - pigment or dye - can give you real problems. It would be good if the printers of these products added a description along one edge - Printed using XXXX pigment dye, do not use a watebased varnish. we might then stand a chance of getting it stretched without damage.

A few tips for the wary framer.
Dont sneeze or inadvertently slobber when viewing canvas with customer - make sure customer follows same rule - if wet insist that customer removes dripping items of clothing - this may seem a slightly strange piece of advice but its happened to me - fortunatley it was the customer who inadvertently spat on the work and then wiped it away - along with a small portion of the image.

Lay down a soft cloth on your bench before stretching - the image can be removed easily on some canvasses if you dont take care.

Be very carefull with the lightweight canvases - they just keep on stretching until the image has nice white cracks in it - or it tears.

If you have an unvarnished print - and you have the right varnish. Varnishing after stretching can give you a nice tight finish - but be very, very careful to know what your varnishing and that you treat the canvas with great care.

John wrote:Any chance of a photo Kev?

i can post a photo of Al. but its not a pretty sight... The customer has taken the canvas away.

He was very good about it. He said as much that he reckoned it should not have come off and he was off to give the printer some ear-ache.

Mrs Kev have seen the replies already, as she looks on the forum from the estlite prog on the shop counter, and she now has a "very likely we wont do it not if it isn't varnished" rule of thumb at the shop counter.

we've had these "canvas prints" before, and some have been very fragile indeed.

Ah, the horrible object came back today.
Heres a pic.
We now think the customer may have got that part wet when he took it out of the bag when he brought it in - it was raining, wet hands etc.
we checked and sure enough water brings the ink off

we tried the same spot, hence the mark being larger now, and some other parts of the "canvas" and the ink is all water soluble (I presume just like cheap inkjet ink in a paper printer, and comes off easier than inkjet on paper!)

It came straight from the customer at the shop counter to Alan, who stretched it right away as a ....favour....

I'd put money on the ink not being any more lightfast than cheap paper printer ink either.

sigh. So this is the future....

Any advise on type of varnish to use

These type of prints are becoming more common now.

Paul