As members of the Fine Trade Art Trade Guild we’re pretty big fans of printing in general. Naturally, as producers of canvas prints, we do tend to wax lyrical about the advantages of transferring your image to the canvas, but we do still recognise that sometimes paper is the printing option that better suits a particular project.

Today we are looking at the subtle but distinct differences between printing on canvas and paper. After all, whatever you choose to display your print on, as the result of your artistic endeavours, you want to ensure it is showed off to its best.  

Printing to paper

When printing to paper, you print onto a smooth surface, so your image won’t be subject to the same texturisation as you might find on canvas.  The quality of the print will largely depend on the type of paper used and they are less likely to see lightening of shadows. With a paper print, you’re likely to have a border of blank paper around your image and will need to purchase a frame of some sort for hanging. As frames become more expensive as your print gets bigger, paper may be a better choice for smaller prints. You must also consider the type of frame you use in relation to glare – glass will reflect sunlight and cause extra glare.

Printing to canvas

With a canvas print, there’s no need to purchase an additional frame, which helps to make your budget go a little further. It also means that canvas prints are generally lighter. You can choose to wrap your image around the edge of your frame too for a more 3-D effect. While you may be inclined to choose paper for printing large poster type prints, the colours on our canvas prints hold up well. If you’d like your print to have a fine art or painted feel the subtle texture of the canvas can help create a painting like feel. Though if your photo is texture focussed, you may want to consider if this would work well in tandem with surface of the canvas. These same tiny lumps and bumps will help your canvas catch the light at different angles – helping to bring your image to life.

What’s your printing preference? Do you choose paper for some projects and order canvas prints for others? Are there any other advantages or disadvantages of choosing paper or canvas that you’d like to add? Comment below or tweet us over at @Parrotprint.