{"id":2091,"date":"2012-11-18T18:04:15","date_gmt":"2012-11-18T23:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bumblejax.com\/content\/?p=2091"},"modified":"2020-12-09T09:28:48","modified_gmt":"2020-12-09T14:28:48","slug":"acrylic-prints-vs-canvas-prints","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bumblejax.com\/content\/acrylic-prints-vs-canvas-prints\/","title":{"rendered":"Acrylic Prints Vs Canvas Prints"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s a question we get every so often.. what is the difference between an acrylic print<\/a> and a canvas print<\/a><\/strong>?\u00a0 There are significant differences and advantages\/disadvantages to both but before we get into those let’s discuss the materials and process involved in each.<\/p>\n

Acrylic Photo Prints<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe acrylic print is referred to by several names such as acrylic face or photo mount and the general acrylic name is often referred to as plexiglas (plexiglass), lucite or perspex which are just brand names of acrylic (everything you wanted to know about acrylic here!<\/a>).\u00a0 There are also two distinct processes of creating an acrylic print – direct printing on to the material vs printing onto paper and then face mounting to acrylic (the acrylic and print are adhered with 1\/8, 1\/4, 1\/2 or 1″ acrylic in front of the print.\u00a0 The face mount process is a more difficult process and more expensive, but well worth it.\u00a0 Here’s a look at a 1\/4″ acrylic face mount showing the acrylic face and dibond backer with the print sandwiched in between.<\/p>\n

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We are firm believers in the face mount method which provides greater color pop and vibrancy as well as color permanence (ie far less prone to fading over time).\u00a0 Photo colors always look\u00a0best printed on professional grade photo paper and the acrylic face mount takes advantage of the refractive quality of acrylic which helps to illuminate your print in the right lighting.\u00a0 No other display technique can match an acrylic face mount in terms of vibrancy which is why this technique continues to grow in popularity among professional photographers.<\/p>\n

While pictures online don’t really do them justice here’s a shot of one of our acrylic prints using metallic paper which adds even more color pop and vibrancy behind acrylic.\u00a0 \u00a0This image is of our thick 1\/2″ acrylic.\u00a0 You can see the incredible vibrancy the acrylic offers particularly in the right light.<\/p>\n

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\nCanvas Prints<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/span>\"cornerThe canvas print process has been around for a long time first using an offset printing process, but in more recent times canvas prints are created by dye sublimation or inkjet printers in what is commonly referred to as giclee.\u00a0 The goal is to create the oil painting, old-fashioned look from a digital photography and many people like this style.\u00a0 The canvas gallery wrap has become one of the popular mainstream ways to present a photo because it’s much cheaper than traditional framing and modern photo mounting.\u00a0 With a canvas gallery wrap, the canvas image wraps around the frame and is attached to the back creating a frameless piece.\u00a0 It still looks great if done right, but colors are more muted and has a textured look.<\/p>\n

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Here’s a closer look at how the two products compare.<\/p>\n

Durability (Advantage Acrylic)
\n<\/strong>Acrylic has the advantage here for both the print directly on acrylic and print on paper then face mount behind acrylic methods.\u00a0 The acrylic provides UV protection typically from 70 – 99% depending on the type of acrylic used and 100% moisture protection if going with a direct print on acrylic (less so with face mount).\u00a0 That’s not to say there is no protection with a canvas wrap.\u00a0 You’ll want to ask your print shop, but I’d imagine most will apply a post-print varnish to help protect against UV rays and moisture.\u00a0 How about dropping?\u00a0 Well, not recommended for either medium, but canvas has the advantage of being light so damage is minimized \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 Acrylic is shatter resistant and lighter than glass, but it can chip in the corners or edge if dropped or abused (FedEx and UPS I’m talking to you!)\u00a0 That said we bulletproof all our packages and shipping damage is rare as well as fully covered by insurance.\u00a0 How about scratching?\u00a0 Both are vulnerable to scratching, but you can use acrylic that is scratch resistant at a considerably higher cost (we have a TruLife acrylic<\/a> that offers scratch resistance).\u00a0 Scratching shouldn’t be an issue at all provided the print is packed well, carefully hung and cleaned properly<\/a> (ie using a damp, soft micro fiber cloth).<\/p>\n

Uniqueness (Advantage Acrylic)
\n<\/strong>Not much of a contest here.\u00a0 Acrylic in a unanimous decision.\u00a0 Obviously, you’ve heard of the acrylic process for displaying your photos or you wouldn’t be reading this \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 But ask your friends, family and co-workers if they have ever heard of an acrylic face mount and you’ll get a dazed look of confusion.\u00a0 While the process is becoming more popular it still hasn’t hit the mainstream yet.\u00a0 Photographers looking to stand out from the crowd are having great success with the acrylic presentation.\u00a0 When you walk into an art gallery and see traditional frame after traditional frame with a few canvases mixed in, then see an acrylic photo mount, it does stand out.\u00a0 We’ll get into that a bit more in the appearance section.<\/p>\n

[UPDATE:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 this article was originally written 5 years ago and since that time we’ve seen an\u00a0explosion in the number of companies offering acrylic prints .. almost all are direct printing to acrylic and you can even get one at Costco!\u00a0 Please note though that not all acrylic prints are created equally and you get what you pay for.\u00a0 Quite a few now or even coming from China and India.\u00a0 Before considering purchasing an acrylic print please read our Acrylic Prints Buyer Guide<\/a><\/strong>.]<\/p>\n

Appearance (Depends On Preference, But Acrylic More Impressive By Far)<\/strong>
\nNo doubt, appearance is a matter of preference.\u00a0 Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder.\u00a0 Acrylic provides a sleek, modern and vibrant look which looks terrific in modern decors while canvas provides more of an old-fashioned look.\u00a0 Think a log cabin the woods or above Grandma’s fireplace \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 Ok that may be a bit of an exaggeration .. canvas can work in a modern decor too.\u00a0 With the canvas print, you get a purposefully grainy look to give it the oil painting look, while acrylic is sharp and vibrant particularly when combined with metallic paper. \u00a0The blacks will be much more pronounced and you’ll see a 33% increase in color gamut over canvas. \u00a0In addition, the acrylic provides a rare refractive property in that light refracts within the acrylic to provide that near 3-D look and greater color vibrancy.<\/p>\n

Transportability (Advantage Canvas)<\/strong>
\nHopefully, you won’t have to do much moving of art or any moving at all for that matter.\u00a0 I think we can all agree that moving sucks!\u00a0 I’ll give the edge to canvas in the transportability department.\u00a0 It’s lighter and probably a bit more scratch resistant than most acrylics.<\/p>\n

Price (Advantage Canvas)<\/strong>
\nCanvas in a landslide.\u00a0 If you’re on a budget, but still want a nice look for your photos, canvas is a great option that will cost about 50% less than an acrylic face mount.<\/p>\n

While we have changed a couple things in our process and can’t reveal ALL our techniques, here’s a video demonstrating our acrylic face mount process that many have found very helpful. \u00a0No we don’t recommend you try this at home \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Note About Glare:<\/strong> Since it comes up with this video in particular, I wanted to touch on the reflections a bit.\u00a0 This video was shot opposite massive picture windows so unfortunately, it doesn’t show the vibrancy as well as we would have liked.\u00a0 There will be glare with the acrylic just as there is with glass and for most people, this is not an issue.\u00a0 If it does bother you, we have a Trulife (25% glare reduction) and a P99 (about 75% reduction) available and both maintain good color vibrancy.\u00a0 Many of the anti-glare, anti-reflective acrylics really diminish vibrancy.<\/p>\n

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