www.paintings.uk.net - Painting Information

What is giclee printing?

In giclee printing, no screen or other mechanical devices are used and therefore there is no visible dot screen pattern. The image has all the tonalities and hues of the original painting. Giclee (pronounced Gee’clay) is a French term meaning to spray or squirt, which is how an inkjet printer works. However, it is not the same as a standard desktop inkjet printer, and is much larger. Giclee prints are a little over a meter wide and are often affectionately referred to as a “knitting machine” as they look very similar.

Canvas Transfer

A canvas transfer, however, is created when the image is literally "lifted" from a paper print, such as a poster or limited-edition print, and transferred to a canvas substrate. (See "Tips for Transfers," opposite page.) What distinguishes a canvas transfer from other prints on canvas is its texture, which often gives it an uncanny resemblance to an original painting. In addition, brushstrokes are often added to enhance the image and mimic the look of an original painting.

A transfer can be created through a hot-transfer method, in which the image is lifted off its paper backing using a special laminate and transferred to a canvas substrate with a heat press. Or, a transfer can be made using a cold transfer method, in which the image on paper is sprayed with a solution, soaked in water, peeled from the substrate and hand-rubbed onto a canvas surface.

Gallery Wrap

Gallery wrap is a method of stretching an artist’s canvas so that the canvas wraps around the sides (stretcher bars or strainer bars) and is secured to the back of the wooden frame. The frame is usually 1.25" thick. The result is the hardware (staples or tacks) used for securing the canvas is not visible on the sides. The sides of the canvas are prepared and primed in the same manner as the face, which may then be painted a solid color or painted to continue the image appearing on the face. This method of stretching and preparing a canvas allows for a frameless presentation of the finished painting.

In canvas printing, the term gallery wrap refers to an image that appears on the sides of the frame as well as the front. The image on the sides is either a continuation or a reflection of the main image.

The difference between a gallery wrap and a stretched canvas

Many people get confused between a gallery wrap and a stretched canvas. Gallery-wrap is a modern style of displaying art over thick wooden bars. It is a stretched canvas that doesn't have any visible staples or nails holding the fabric to the wooden stretcher bars so the painting could be hung unframed.

Stretched canvas is something completely different. In order to have your painting framed it first has to be stretched across stretcher bars. A stretched canvas differs from a gallery wrap. First, the stretcher bars are thinner allowing the staples to show on the sides of the wood. Therefore, unlike the gallery wrap, a stretched canvas is not a finished look to hang an oil painting on the wall.

Gallery-wrap is a very popular way to display art, however, because the edges of the canvas are wrapped over the thick bars, about two inches of the painting from each side are lost in the wrap unless the canvas is prepared with enough extra canvas that will allow the wrap not to cause a loss in the visible painting.