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media kat
Known Participant
April 26, 2012
Question

Advice on preparing images for printing to canvas

  • April 26, 2012
  • 3 replies
  • 25049 views

I want to prepare an image to be printed on a canvas using a service like http://www.pixwraps.com/

1. Can anyone share any general tips for preparing images in PS to make them look better when printed this way?

2. What should I look for to assess quality when trying to pick one of these types of printing services? Types of ink used, canvas, etc.

Thanks.

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    3 replies

    Noel Carboni
    Noel Carboni
    Legend
    April 27, 2012

    I print astroimages to canvas and don't do anything special, besides making sure there's enough background around the edges to ensure the gallery wrap process doesn't cause the main subject to be stretched out past the edges.

    The canvas texture will tend to make smooth edges a bit bumpy, but it doesn't really change the appearance in any big way from what it would look like on a smooth poster.

    And I don't know what station_one is on about with that surprised look, but I send the big JPEG files for print with the sRGB profile embedded as well, which is what's expected.

    FYI, I've always gotten good service from Winkflash.

    -Noel

    A
    Anonymous
    April 27, 2012

    Noel Carboni wrote:

    I print astroimages…

    That's a beautiful lunar shot, Noel.  I had been meaning to ask if you were the same Noel Carboni

    from

    Noel Carboni
    Noel Carboni
    Legend
    April 27, 2012

    Yep, that's me.  You can view a reasonably high resolution version of that shot here, by the way:

    http://noel.prodigitalsoftware.com/Astroimages/Moon_Hypersaturated_Desktop.jpg

    -Noel

    G
    gator soup
    Inspiring
    April 26, 2012

    interesting (really a headache) they don't offer a "FAQ"

    i did dig in their Help section

    but no sign of what profile to use (sRGB?)

    with

    Types of ink used, canvas, etc.

    i think price should be a pretty good indicator of quality of goods

    best Photoshop tip is to hardware 'calibrate' your monitor so you can accurately color balance image and embed your profile

    second

    call and ask them what profile to use

    Shan-Dysigns
    Shan-Dysigns
    Inspiring
    April 26, 2012

    I can't imagine there would be any need for a specific color profile (outside the default srgb). You would have to account for type of fabric, maybe the thickness of the fabric, etc... even with those few variables, ink maybe absorb differently from strand to strand. I don't think there is any "true" color accuracy when printing on a fabric canvas. I imagine the finished image is going to have a washed out effect anyway, so like I said, submnitting a high resolution image should be the only major concern.

    E
    emil emil
    Inspiring
    April 27, 2012

    !!! 

    I'm not sure what you're questioning, but I've never seen a service like this make a stink about the color profile used. I'm sure whatever color profile the customer submits is converted to whatever profile the company needs. These images aren't printed on typical paper, so I would imagine true color is not going to be expected. If they print on a colored canvas, I would imagine the photo's colors are going to shift as they merge in with the color of the material. If they print on brown-paper canvas, there is no color profile in the world in which will result in an accurate color replication. That was my point.


    Shan-Dysigns wrote:

    !!! 

    I'm not sure what you're questioning, but I've never seen a service like this make a stink about the color profile used. I'm sure whatever color profile the customer submits is converted to whatever profile the company needs. These images aren't printed on typical paper, so I would imagine true color is not going to be expected. If they print on a colored canvas, I would imagine the photo's colors are going to shift as they merge in with the color of the material. If they print on brown-paper canvas, there is no color profile in the world in which will result in an accurate color replication. That was my point.

    If a print shop knows what they are doing they will provide the users with color profiles for any media they use. If I send an image with my wide gamut monitor profile embedded and if the printed output has much narrower gamut I will loose most of my color without warning. If they provide me with a color profile of the media I can create my images accordingly having in mind the limits of the destination color space by simulating it on my monitor. Any media including canvas can be profiled with good spectrophotometers and densitometers. The fact that most print shops don't do that dosn't mean that they are doing it right.

      Shan-Dysigns
      Shan-Dysigns
      Inspiring
      April 26, 2012

      I can't imagine you would need to do anything other than submitting the image. As long as the image quality meets their needs, and the image itself looks good, what else is there for you to prepare? I would think whatever service you are going to use, ask them specific questions.

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