If your unfamiliar with the emerging craze of putting photos onto art canvas, in a sentence it is a budding contemporary art movement that you’re going to be seeing more in more often, not only in homes and offices, but also in photography and art galleries. This new media for displaying photographs is truly stunning. It is an intermingling of the modern digital photography with the classic use of canvas in paintings. Surprisingly, the process of putting photos on canvas is quite simple. A professional digital photo of any subject, be it a landscape, person, object, or anything else you can think of is printed onto canvas using high tech photo printers with specialized materials. The result is half art half photo, with the definition and detailing you would expect of a real life snapshot but with vivid texture-derived details that can only be accomplished with canvas. Better yet, canvas prints can be in full vibrant color, black and white, or anything in between.

Despite the glowing praise canvas prints are receiving more and more today, there are still a lot of people expressing distinct concerns over their validity as a real print medium. These concerns involve the longevity of the print permanence, durability of the product, and whether or not canvas prints are unique enough to have the staying power to be a lasting print solution. These often voiced concerns are not surprising, given that there is always some commotion surrounding innovative processes, especially in the artistic world.

To address the concerns, let’s first discuss the durability of the actual canvas print product. The photograph is first printed onto the canvas, which is then sealed and stretched over traditional art canvas stretcher bar. Therefore, it is as strong and sturdy as any artwork on canvas. Additionally, because of the process and treatment of canvas prints they’re nowhere near as vulnerable to the elements, or even mishandling as oil or acrylic paintings on canvas are. It is absolutely impossible to smudge a digital photo on canvas, and the canvas sealer makes it nearly waterproof, as well as resistant to dust, scratches, and impervious to finger prints.

Not only are canvas prints durable, but they also have an impressive longevity – also known as print permanence in the photo world. This type of media is not prone to easy fading. In reasonable climates, low in humidity, it is even possible to display canvas prints outdoors without much impact on the print’s longevity. Whether indoors or outdoors, a canvas print kept out of direct sunlight can last for many, many years – even decades. Under ideal display conditions a canvas print can keep for over 100 years without any signs of fading, as tested by Wilhelm Imaging Research. The sealers used to finish canvas prints also make the print nearly waterproof, ie: one can hold a canvas print from ZaZa Gallery under running water without seeing any signs of damage.

As you can no doubt see, canvas prints are not just a fad, they are a new and innovative way of printing your precious photos. Canvas is a medium that adds beauty, uniqueness, and lifespan to any print, and canvas prints make wonderful, classy display pieces for the home or office.