Art Works! Office Space Is a Big Opportunity for Printable Canvas

More corporations are realizing that the benefits of art in the workplace go beyond aesthetics. Corporate art for office walls can display a company’s culture and brand values. Since innovation and creativity does not easily spring from behind the gray fabric walls of an office cubicle, Corporate America is creating open, collaborative work space filled with art and inspiration.

Studies have found that art in the workplace can boost productivity, reduce stress and enhance communication. A survey conducted by the Business Committee for the Arts and the International Association for Professional Art Advisors showed that 78% of respondents thought that art in the workplace reduced stress, 67% agreed it increased creativity and productivity and 67% thought it enhanced employee morale. Companies are following the example of Google and Deutsch Bank and canvasing their walls with stimulating, creative art work.

Canvas Triptych Print by Broadstreet Fine Art“The workplace art collection is often an underutilized, sometimes overlooked, business asset,” said Judith A. Jedlicka, President, BCA. “The results of this survey point to the fact that art in the work environment fosters creativity, boosts employee morale and sparks dialogues – all of which are essential to a company’s success.”

Look to commercial art services, corporations, retail and hospitality fields for opportunities in canvas print reproduction. Fredrix Canvas, available exclusively in the U.S. through LexJet, offers superior printable canvas that has proudly hung on the walls of corporations for decades.

Canvas media for office spaces:

Latex & Solvent: Fredrix 901SGSJ Artisan Semi-Gloss Canvas is a heavier canvas with a toothier texture that gives a more authentic look for fine art reproductions. Because it has a nice semi-gloss sheen and is compatible with latex, solvent and UV curable inks, this canvas doesn’t need a coating, saving on finishing time. It delivers a uniform, consistent look, especially when paired with the sheen of latex inks. Try Fredrix 901SJ Select Matte Canvas for artists who prefer a more matte finish, or Fredrix 901 GSJ Encore Gloss Canvas for photographic prints that pop with a more glossy finish.

Aqueous: Deliver high-end photography prints on Fredrix 777VWR Vivid Matte Canvas, with a smooth finish of this canvas and the same quality as Fredrix’s other options. For aqueous printers reproducing artwork, Fredrix 901VWR Crystal Matte Canvas will provide a more heavily textured base that works great for authentic-looking artistic prints.

Fredrix canvas is made in the USA, with 150 years of experience and offers a range of canvases for printing. Check out our line of Fredrix products at LexJet.com.

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.”

Hotels Are Becoming Fine Art Spaces — But Where Do They Buy Their Art?

Queen Elizabeth sits serenely with eyes closed in a giant photograph — perhaps meant to lull viewers to sleep. Her portrait is not on display in a museum, rather, she hangs in the lobby of London’s Churchill Hyatt Regency, part of a growing trend of hotels that are using artwork to create a unique and memorable experience for their guests. But where do hotels buy their art?

Whether a Hilton, Hyatt or Marriott, these franchises must all meet branding specifications set by a parent company. Art selection, on the other hand, is usually determined by an architect or interior design team hired by the hotel owner. There are also Boutique Hospitality Art Consultants who negotiate with working artists to create custom art packages for hotels.

Art consultancies will often locate artwork from local artists through area art galleries for global placement in luxury hotels around the world. One way for local art galleries to stay informed is to partner with the American Society of Interior Designers Association. This partnership helps galleries get an inside track on current and upcoming interior design projects.

Sometimes these design projects require high-volume and quick turnaround and that’s where digital print technology comes in. Galleries and designers look for quality substrates such as Fredrix Canvas to reproduce museum quality work for their guestroom art pieces. Artists know they can trust their work to Fredrix because of their 150-year-old legacy of making fine canvas products in the U.S.

Fredrix 777VWR Vivid Matte Canvas – is an 18-mil, bright-white, poly/cotton canvas with a 2-over-1 weave. This water-resistant canvas is the smoothest of the Fredrix aqueous canvas line, making it the perfect choice for highly detailed, photographic, decorative gallery wraps on canvas.

Fredrix 901SGSJ Artisan Semi-Gloss Canvas – A poly/cotton blend, 2-over-1 canvas is specially engineered to create beautiful prints with the latest solvent, eco-solvent, and latex inks, providing a wide color gamut, exceptional Dmax, and a consistent, subtle texture.

For more information on Fredrix Canvas offerings, call 800-453-9538 to speak with a LexJet sales representative or visit lexjet.com to purchase Fredrix Canvas today – available exclusively through LexJet.

The Fine Art of Photography on Canvas

Wolf printed on Fredrix canvas from LexJetDavid Micelotta, owner of Through the Eyes of David, a fine art photography studio in Farmingville, N.Y., prints his work almost exclusively on canvas, Fredrix 777VWR Vivid Matte Canvas from LexJet, to be exact.

“At one time I sold framed pieces, but switched to canvas because my customers love canvas. I print them all on 1 1/2″ gallery wraps so the customer doesn’t have to worry about framing the piece and it gives the piece more dimension,” explains Micelotta. “I love the color reproduction and the gamut the Fredrix canvas produces.”

Micelotta travels the art show circuit in New York and neighboring states showcasing his unique take on a variety of subjects. Though he leans toward nature photography, eager art buyers also appreciate his landscapes, cityscapes and nautical photos on canvas.

The key to selling a great photo at art shows, says Micelotta, is the quality of the finished print. Therefore, Micelotta profiles his inkjet materials and calibrates the entire process, from capture to monitor to print.

Fracture Art printed on Fredrix canvas from LexJet“I get the same quality in gamut and detail in both papers and canvas due to the calibration between monitor and printer. After I print the canvas and let it dry, I coat it with a varnish and it tends to saturate the color 10-15 percent more than the fine art paper and gives it more gloss, which I like,” says Micelotta.

Micellota also creates more abstract pieces he calls Fracture Art, a technique he developed using five different graphics software programs.

“It starts with a photo that I bring into the five different programs and then apply formulas I’ve create in each. The outcome is the Fracture Art, and then I adjust those formulas from there to change the look slightly,” he says.

Fredrix Print Canvas at LexJet: Buy Two Rolls, Get One Free

Buy Two Rolls of Fredrix Print Canvas at LexJet and Get One Roll FrreeAs noted here earlier on the LexJet Blog, LexJet is now the exclusive distributor of Tara Materials’ venerable Fredrix Print Canvas line. To celebrate this partnership, get a free roll of Fredrix Print Canvas when you buy two rolls with your first order from LexJet. To take advantage of this offer, call a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538. The offer ends April 30 and is not available online.

The Fredrix Print Canvas line now available exclusively at LexJet includes…

Compatible with Aqueous Printers

  • Fredrix 901WR Pulse Matte Canvas is a 19-mil, neutral-white, poly/cotton canvas with a 2-over-1 weave. This water-resistant canvas is the perfect choice for artistic reproductions that require the look of a traditional artist canvas.
  • Fredrix 901VWR Crystal Matte Canvas is a 19-mil, bright-white, poly/cotton canvas with a 2-over-1 weave that renders an expansive color gamut and incredible Dmax. This matte canvas is the perfect choice for fine art or decorative gallery wraps that require a smooth yet subtle texture.
  • Fredrix 777VWR Vivid Matte Canvas is an 18-mil, bright-white, poly/cotton canvas with a 2-over-1 weave. This water-resistant canvas is the smoothest of the Fredrix aqueous canvas line, making it the perfect choice for highly detailed, photographic, decorative gallery wraps on canvas.

Compatible with Solvent, Low-Solvent, Latex and UV-Curable Printers

  • Fredrix 575SMJ Tempo Semi-Matte Canvas is a lightweight, poly/cotton blend canvas with a 1-over-1 weave and a semi-matte finish. It is perfect for high-value products created in high production environments, and is well-suited for gallery wraps, décor, point-of-purchase, and more.
  • Fredrix 901SJ Select Matte Canvas is a high-performing, natural white, 2-over-1 poly/cotton blend canvas that is the perfect medium for artistic reproductions. The matte finish very closely emulates true artist canvas, and is perfect for gallery-wraps, art reproductions, décor, and point-of-purchase displays.
  • Fredrix 901SGSJ Artisan Semi-Gloss Canvas is the perfect choice for a high-quality, high-value semi-gloss canvas.  This poly/cotton blend, 2-over-1 canvas is specially engineered to create beautiful prints with the latest solvent, eco-solvent, and latex inks, providing a wide color gamut, exceptional Dmax, and a consistent, subtle texture.

For more information, and for help finding the right inkjet media for your project, contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538 or go to www.lexjet.com/fredrix. Be sure to ask about the Buy Two Get One Free Fredrix Print Canvas promotion, which ends April 30.