Preparing your artwork for canvas prints

Every canvas is pigment-printed using pigment ink, finished as standard with a protective matte UV varnish, and stretched over a wooden frame. Prepare your file to these specs and it wraps cleanly with nothing important lost around the edges. New to canvas? Start with our canvas blog. If you want fine art on paper instead, see our giclée page range.

File format

  • Best: TIFF, flattened, uncompressed or ZIP compression (please avoid LZW).
  • Bit depth: 8-bit is perfectly fine. 16-bit is welcome if you have it, but it is not required.
  • Very large files (over 4 GB) should be saved as PSB.
  • JPEG is fine if it is genuinely your only file, saved at maximum quality.
  • Please flatten your layers before sending, and avoid heavily compressed JPEGs, screenshots, or images saved from a website or social media.

Resolution

  • Aim for 300 ppi at your final canvas size. This is the target that gives the crispest result, the same as our fine art paper prints.
  • Canvas can sometimes take a little less. Because canvas has a woven texture and is usually viewed from a distance, some images still print beautifully below 300 ppi, down toward 180. It is not guaranteed for every image, so send us the best resolution you have and we will tell you how large it will comfortably go.
  • Count the wrap, not just the face. The figure that matters is the resolution across the whole printed area, including the image that wraps around the sides, so work to your face size plus the wrap allowance below.
  • Do not upscale to hit the number. Adding pixels in software does not add real detail. If your file is on the small side, tell us and we will find a size that still looks great. Read our blog for the full explanation.
  • Quick check: pixels ÷ 300 = your biggest canvas face in inches at the full target.

Colour

  • Work in Adobe RGB (1998) and embed the profile. This is the colour space we print from end to end, and an embedded profile is the single most important thing for accurate colour.
  • Please don’t convert to CMYK. Giclée isn’t a CMYK process - converting discards colour our printer can actually reproduce. Here is our blog explaining why.
  • sRGB is fine if that is the colour space your file started in. The gamut is a little smaller, so deep, saturated colours may sit slightly flatter.
  • The matte varnish and canvas texture soften the finish very slightly compared with a paper print. We print from your file as supplied, and you will see a proof first, see Proofs and approval below.

The wrap, edges and frame

  • Frame depth: we offer a 38 mm deep gallery wrap and a slimmer 18 mm frame.
  • Wrap allowance: your image must extend beyond the visible face so it can fold around the sides and fix to the back. For 38 mm deep bars, add 1.75 in to every side (3.5 in to the overall width and 3.5 in to the overall height). For 18 mm deep bars, add 0.75 in to every side (1.5 in to the width and height).
  • Worked example: a 20 × 30 in canvas on 38 mm bars has a printed area of 23.5 × 33.5 in, so at 300 ppi you need roughly 7050 × 10050 px.
  • Keep the important bits central. Anything close to the edge, such as a signature, a head, or text, can disappear around the sides. Leave a comfortable margin inside the face.
  • Edge treatment: choose how the sides look. Image wrap continues your picture around the edges, mirrored reflects the edge of the image so nothing is lost from the face, or solid colour fills the sides with a colour of your choice.
  • There is no separate bleed to set up. On a canvas, the wrap does that job.

Size and layout

  • We print up to 40 in wide on the roll, so most canvas sizes are well within reach.
  • Our standard canvas sizes are listed on the canvas print product page. Want a size that is not there? We are happy to do custom, just email us.
  • We also offer unstretched (rolled) canvas. It is not listed on the website, so email us to order. It still comes with the same matte UV varnish, and we will confirm the exact file setup with you, since the wrap allowance depends on whether you plan to stretch it later.
  • We print at your file's own proportions and will not crop it without asking.

Your file checklist

  • TIFF, flattened (or PSB if over 4 GB)
  • 8-bit or 16-bit, either is fine
  • 300 ppi across the full printed area, including the wrap (a little less is sometimes fine on canvas, just ask)
  • Adobe RGB (1998), profile embedded
  • Extra image all the way around for the wrap
  • Nothing important near the edges

Sending your file

  • Under 10 MB: email it straight to us.
  • Larger: use a file-transfer service such as WeTransfer, then send us a quick email to say it is on the way and which service you have used.
  • Local? Bring it in on a USB stick.

Reproduction rights

By sending us artwork to reproduce, you are confirming that you own it or hold the right to have it copied. We cannot reproduce work you do not have the rights to.

Proofs and approval

  • Before we print, we send a PDF layout proof showing your canvas at size, with the visible face, the wrap lines so you can see what lands on the sides, and any changes you have asked for.
  • On-screen colour depends on your own monitor, so the proof confirms layout, size and content rather than an exact colour match. Want to check colour on paper first? You can order a hard-copy A4 proof.
  • Please check your proof carefully, including how the image sits against the wrap. Anything you approve is what we print, errors included. You are also confirming you hold the rights to reproduce the artwork. Approval is given in writing and is contractually binding for the work. Full details are in our terms and conditions.

Turnaround

Usually 5 full working days from proof approval.

Certificates of authenticity

Producing a limited edition? We can supply a Certificate of Authenticity for each canvas, just ask when you order.

If we come back to you, it is usually one of these