Framing Cotton Canvas Print

[Mickeym]

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping a few of you might be able to offer some advice regarding framing a cotton canvas print. I'm possibly hoping to sell this print if I can iron out some of the issues i'm experiencing.

The canvas is a light cream/beige colour and is created from an A3 fed roll suitable for inkjet printers. The front is natural cotton and the rear of the sheet is a smooth white plastic type of material. The thickness is less than 1mm.

The final printed canvas measures 29.7cm x 29.7cm, and is printed in mono for the desired effect im trying to achieve. It has an inner border around the print measuring 7mm thick all the way around and outside of this is 7mm of the cotton canvas (as seen in the attached image).

I originally wanted to frame this in a 12x12" frame without a mount, however, it falls just short of the edges internally and from testing various frames I prefer the look of using a 12" vinyl record frame as it's slightly larger than a 12x12" frame. With the canvas centered directly on a black backboard, it gives approx a 7mm black border around the outer edge of the canvas which works perfectly with the border stroke i'm using.

My first question is how to mount this type of canvas directly onto the backing board. Could I use an archive double sided tape, and if so what is the most suitable?

Secondly, when I cut the canvas after printing, I sometimes get fraying to minimal areas. It doesn't always happen but on the odd print it does, maybe because of a blunt blade. Rather than using a mount since I can't find a suitable mount for this particular size, is there any alternative so as to conceal a small portion of the canvas edge ie using a black archival tape all around that sits say 2-3 mm over the canvas edge or should I just leave the canvas floating?

Many thanks in advance for any advice offered.

[Justintime]

You can't find a suitable mount? Surely you/a picture framer can cut one suitable?
Canvas like this could possibly be mounted onto board using a vacuum hotpress although you would have to do a test to see how the plastic coating and inks react to the heat, alternatively you could use a Drytac cold roller press to achieve the same result.
A spacer would cover approx 5mm of canvas all around.

[JFeig]

You are asking for trouble by thinking about using double sided tape around the border. Your intentions are for selling a product that hopefully will last for years. There are too many questions that you have not addressed.

You should be looking into full surface adhesion to a support board. This can be done with one of 3 methods; dry mounting, a wet adhesive, and a pressure sensitive sheet of film. Some wet adhesives can be heat activated after "drying".

In terms of aligning the image printed into a backing board, it is better to not trim the canvas to size before you attached it to a backing board. Cut after it is all attached for better results regarding alignment. Cutting the canvas with a new sharp blade will give better results as well.

[Mickeym]

You can't find a suitable mount? Surely you/a picture framer can cut one suitable?
Canvas like this could possibly be mounted onto board using a vacuum hotpress although you would have to do a test to see how the plastic coating and inks react to the heat, alternatively you could use a Drytac cold roller press to achieve the same result.
A spacer would cover approx 5mm of canvas all around.

I'm not a picture framer, I'm an artist that regularly uses frames for my work. Many frames I've had custom made for me by framers but on this occasion I'm hoping to use ready made 12" vinyl record frames since these seem to be the most appropriate fit for my canvas. Yes I can source mounts for a regular 12x12" frame to fit a 10 x 10" print but seeing as I'm using 12" vinyl record frames the mount would be ever so slightly larger. I have a mount supplier that can custom cut but for this particular purpose a mount might not be required. If I were to use a mount I would want the inner black border stroke area visible and that would mean using an ultra thin mount which might not be practical for this particular print, hence why I'm asking for alternative ideas.

[Mickeym]

You are asking for trouble by thinking about using double sided tape around the border. Your intentions are for selling a product that hopefully will last for years. There are too many questions that you have not addressed.

You should be looking into full surface adhesion to a support board. This can be done with one of 3 methods; dry mounting, a wet adhesive, and a pressure sensitive sheet of film. Some wet adhesives can be heat activated after "drying".

In terms of aligning the image printed into a backing board, it is better to not trim the canvas to size before you attached it to a backing board. Cut after it is all attached for better results regarding alignment. Cutting the canvas with a new sharp blade will give better results as well.

thanks for your reply. When I cut the canvas, I'm only trimming the top and bottom of the the canvas. I don't trim the either side of the canvas as the print sits in the middle of an A3 piece of canvas so the edges of the canvas are actually the very edges of the canvas sheet that went through my printer (if that makes sense). Unfortunately, the width of the canvas roll used falls 7mm short of the inside of the frame. Because my print is square, i trim the top and bottom to match the sides, so it wouldn't make sense for me to cut the top/bottom of canvas once applied to a backing board.

With regards to double sided archival tape, I was not applying this around the sides or over the sides of the canvas, it was to apply to areas of the back of the canvas so as to stick to the backing board. I was told by someone to then use a regular matt black archival tape and apply this around the edges of canvas so it overlaps the edges say by 2-3mm (to cover any frayed edges). There is only approx 7mm of space around the internal frame edge and the start of the canvas so it acts like an ultra thin mount. I don't think I can get an actual mount this is thin enough to just be visible 7mm around the print. Maybe I don't need to worry about alternatives to a mount and I could just have the canvas floating within the frame over a black backing board with a border of 7mm around the edge.

[Justintime]

"Matt black archival tape" is a misnomer, assuming that by archival you mean pH neutral acid free will do no damage in the future kind of way.
Unfortunately you're asking professional picture framers not how to make a frame that fits but how to fit a round peg into a square hole.
I suggest you either resize your printed work to fit the frame or employ a framer to make you a frame to fit your work.

[prospero]

Canvas (print or original) usually is 'stretched' on bars. Time honoured method.
If you are treating it like paper-bourne art then you are essentially creating a rod for your own back.
Why print on canvas if you are not going to stretch it? If you want the canvas texture then heatseal it
with a textured film.

[Gillthepainter]

Good morning, Mickey.

Have you tried cutting the canvas using a rotary blade cutter? There is no drag with them or pull, and it may solve your isolated freying issue.
Also, if you want the edges visible, do you have enough play room to cut the entire piece with a rotary blade, all 4 sides.
That way, if left visible and floating (without hiding behind tape or mount), you will have a balanced edge all the way round.
Hopefully not flawed in any way.

The problem with gluing the entire piece to board is you will probably get blisters, no matter how heavy weighted down your piece is during the gluing stage.
Linen canvas is slightly easier, as it has natural air holes, to release bubbles that will inevitably appear post drying.

I'm assuming your vinyl frame is behind glass? I don't actually know what that is.
Is it too rustic to use double sided stiff floating foam around the 4 edges of the print - 2mm inside the edge. It will give your inkjet canvas stiff form.
Pressed onto your black backing board.
And put inside your frame.



So you will have a floating raised image, inside the frame - making sure the image isn't pressed against the glass of course.

If there is no glass, then the black d/sided foam tape might still look good to the eye.
But you'd need to test it out.