Captured on Canvas: Memories & Moments That Last

When Kathy Ogg first became a mom 23 years ago, she soon realized she wouldn’t be returning to work as she once knew it. Instead, photographing and printing pictures of her kids, now age 4 through 23, became a hobby, then a passion, then a whole new career.

Five years ago, with her original Canon imagePROGRAF 8400 printer, she started Re:Image Printing, perfecting the art of using photos not only taken by professional photographers, but amateurs who were capturing family moments on their cell phones, as well.

A customer’s candid image captured on canvas.

“I’ve worked with a lot of families who thought that Facebook would be the way to store all their pictures and they got rid of their originals,” Ogg says. “But then they realized that once they’re on Facebook, the photos are tiny.”

So Ogg helps families determine which photos would work best as prints on either photo paper or canvas wraps. She’s now upgraded to the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-4000 and is a loyal user of Fredrix 777VWR Vivid Matte Canvas and LexJet Sunset Select Matte Canvas.

Often, potential clients shy away from canvas wrap prints because they think they need a professional photographer in order to get professional prints made. However, Ogg says, “I’m trying to teach people that cell phone pictures do print really well now — I can blow them up to 24×36-inch canvases. You just have to ask yourself: Does that picture do something to your heart? If so, then it’s worthy to print to a canvas and put on your wall.”

Memories aren’t only photographs. This recipe card is forever remembered on a canvas print.

Ogg moved from Indiana to Winter Garden, Fla., a few years ago, where she now runs a print and canvas wrap shop. When testing the media that she prints to, she looks for consistent results, vivid, accurate colors without a lot of texture and handling without cracking in the corners when stretched on canvas bars.

She’s opted for the canvas wraps because she finds the finished look to be “timeless,” unlike frames that can go out of style and glass that can stick to — and ruin — the printed image. She tops the canvas with a coating for extra protection — gloss coating for landscape images and colors that need a lot of “pop” and satin for family photos.

“Some professional photographers think there’s no way that canvas can reproduce their colors,” she says. “But I just say – why don’t you let me show you. Between the printer and the Fredrix or LexJet canvas, I can guarantee the quality.”

Ogg has also been experimenting with LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric, a removable repositionable self-adhesive product that delivers great image quality, as well.

LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric used for a nursery room mural.

“Print-N-Stick is the most fun material I’ve ever printed to,” she says. “I love how versatile it is, and it will stay up as long as I want it to. It’s truly removable without peeling paint or damaging the wall behind it. It feels more like fabric and really adheres to the texture of the wall.”

Ogg uses Print-N-Stick mostly for her children’s room murals, but is starting to offer it to her customers, too. Between the fun wall murals and canvas wraps, her own home is a reflection of what she can create for clients’ homes. “There’s a reason behind every picture hanging up on my wall,” she says. “I walk in and I’m home — I’m happy and at peace.”

A Brave New World for SunTrust Park

When the Atlanta Braves moved into their new home, SunTrust Park, this April, they had a lot of blank walls to fill in offices and throughout the stadium. They turned to the corporate design experts at A-R-T & Associates in Atlanta to produce a one-of-a-kind series of canvas prints.

The artwork, supplied from the Braves’ archives, included a variety of baseball and ball-field imagery, both current and historical, with everything from wide-lens captures of an entire crowd to extreme close-ups of equipment, like mitts and grass.

“Some of my favorite pieces were old tickets, when tickets were cool and interesting little works of art,” says Rachael Zaudke Wilkins, who runs the print operation at A-R-T. “We enlarged some of them to 24-by-72-inch prints.”

Speedy Canvas Wraps Are on a Roll with GOframe

You can stretch professional-level canvas wraps faster than all get out with the GOframe PRO system, available at LexJet. In the video above, we take you step-by-step through the process, which takes just minutes, unlike traditional canvas wrap procedures.

You’ll need:

  • GOframe Starter Kit: Includes 4 Reusable Corner Clamps, Archival Glue and an Edge Trimmer
  • Stretcher Bars: Shown here are 16” x 20” GOframe PRO stretcher bars that come with tensioners and U-shaped fasteners for the corners
  • Hammer, utility knife and straight edge

When you prepare your print, add a 2.5-inch bleed on all sides before printing. We recommend printing on LexJet Sunset Reserve Matte Canvas or LexJet Sunset Reserve Gloss Canvas for great canvas wrap results. Be sure to install GOframe on a smooth surface when the canvas is print-side down to avoid scratches.

The GOframe Starter Kit and Stretcher Bars are prepped to help you wrap canvases in no time. The reusable corner clamps make positioning accurate, and the bars are finished with adhesive on two sides for easy installation. The kit also comes with a bottle of archival glue for extra adhesion.

Follow the step-by-step instructions in the video to learn how to align your print, finish the corners and place U-shaped fasteners and tensioners to create a gallery-worthy wrap.

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Faster, Easier Canvas Wraps with GOframe

Yes, you can create professionally finished canvas wraps with ease in just minutes. Thanks to the patented design from GOframe, available at LexJet, finishing canvas prints with stretcher bars couldn’t be faster or easier.

In the video above, we walk you through how the GOframe system works, using the Starter Kit and stretcher bars that vary in lengths from 8 to 20 inches.

The Starter Kit comes with reusable corner clamps, archival glue and a special trimmer. Each stretcher bar pack includes the bars, strainers and corner pins. You can also purchase Centrebraces to provide additional stability for larger wrap pieces. The only other thing you need is a hammer.

Check out our blog, For PostNet, GOframe Cuts Canvas Wrapping Time in Half to see how GOframe has helped PostNet build more business while saving time and money.