Remember back when we had summer festivals? Before the pandemic? Me too. We were called upon to reproduce a couple of posters for a local company for the stage that they sponsored at one of the largest summer festivals in the country and we were more than happy to assist.
We started with the specifications from the marketing company. Color replication, type of canvas, size, every little detail down to the structure used to support the canvas, it was pretty cool working with someone that had all this information. Now was the time to work the details.
Color replication can be tricky especially given the gold tones in these prints. There are a color of color scales that most printers try to avoid because their printers can’t hit the color scale that is needed, but not us. Our printer can hit most colors including color gradients and gold isn’t an issue. We printed a test panel and compared the colors with the print that the agency provided us with using a color spectrophotometer. No that isn’t something that the Ghostbusters used, but a tool we use to match colors. The spectrophotometer analysis color by removing ambient light and measuring the amount of reflection a color has and compares those numbers to a color chart so we can reproduce exact colors. It takes a little more time and expertise, but the end result is well worth it.
When it came to the type and appearance of the canvas we really didn’t have too many choices. With the printer we use the material has to be able to hold ink and tolerate temperatures around 175 degrees. We had two options: course or fine finish. The customer wanted the course finish as it was an almost perfect copy for the original designs. The size was definitely the easiest part as they wanted 36″ x 48″ exterior edge-to-edge.
This is were I have to admit that I learned a lot. The frames that canvas art is placed over vary greatly and there are a number of characteristics that make some frames better than others. Who would have thought. Because these were going to be installed outside in the elements, we decided on oak frames with stainless steel fasteners. The last thing we wanted was to have the fasteners rust. We also used a cross brace so the frames couldn’t buckle over time. Just an extra step to ensure that these look great for years to come.
If you need a number of custom canvas prints for your business, please give us a call. We can be reached at 262.289.9481 or email us at info@optimumsignswi.com. We would love to help you with your project.
