Canvas is a tightly woven fabric that holds ink well.
Printing a picture on canvas, or giclee printing, is a highly technical process that involves specialized printers and pigment inks. To duplicate the process at home, you can use a piece of canvas, your home printer and some transfer paper. The result is similar to professional canvas prints, but costs less.
Instructions
1. Choose a photo; it should be a high-resolution digital photo. The better the quality of the image, the better the quality of the final print. Photos can be black and white, color or even manipulated through a computer photo-processing program.
2. Cut and iron the canvas. After you have decided what size to print your photo, measure the canvas---adding an additional 4 to 5 inches around the entire perimeter. Cut the canvas and iron it flat.
3. Add corner marks for placement. Using a ruler and a pencil, make light marks on the canvas where each corner of the picture will be placed. This helps you align the picture after it is printed.
4. Print the photo onto the transfer paper. Choose transfer paper that is for use with your type of printer, whether inkjet or laser. With your printer set to high-quality print, print your digital photo onto a piece of transfer paper. The print will come out in mirror-image form.
5. Iron the image onto the canvas. Place the transfer paper face down onto the canvas. Line up the corner marks and iron the transfer paper according to the manufacturers' directions.
6. Peel off the transfer paper. After the appropriate time, determined by manufacturer instructions, peel the transfer paper from the canvas to reveal the image. Let the canvas cool completely.
7. Stretch the canvas. Staple the canvas around a wooden frame that has been constructed to fit the picture. Staple the excess canvas on the back of the frame, stretching the canvas as you go to get a taut fit.
