When it comes to printing photographs for the purposes of displaying on the wall in a high-quality, professional manner, your most common options include canvas prints (wraps), and photo prints on acrylic. Most people are familiar with canvas wraps, but fewer people have been exposed to photo prints on acrylic.
Photo printing on acrylic is a newer technique, and arguably one that’s a bit more difficult to produce. While canvas wraps are printing on a canvas material (hence the name), photo prints on acrylic are photos printed on high-quality, archival grade glossy photo paper. And while prints on canvas are then pulled (or “stretched”) around stretcher bars to give the 3-dimensional look, prints on acrylic are then applied to a double-sided, optically clear media. Once that clear media has been applied to the photo, the other adhesive side is applied to the under – or back – side of a clear piece of high-quality acrylic. The acrylic is typically 1/8” to 3/8” thick (most commonly ¼”), and its edges can be beveled for a nice, finished look. The process in which the photo is applied to the back side of the acrylic has some almost mythical properties that give the photo an extra “wow factor” that make it “pop” more; more than had it just been printed and applied to the top/front side of the acrylic.
While canvas wraps typically have a matte or dull finish, acrylic photo prints are shiny, glossy and possess a polished, professional look. However, given the relative degree of difficulty to produce these prints, you’ll see far fewer examples of them around, or places where you can have these ordered. But Signs of San Antonio is a leading provider of photo prints on acrylic as it’s one of their specialties.
Given the impressiveness of acrylic prints, they are being requested more and more frequently, and are most often used by companies wanting to profile their products, services or assets, in the most striking way possible.
So now that you understand the difference between canvas wrap prints and acrylic photo prints, why not reach out to a company that specializes in printing stunning photos on acrylic? Contact Signs of San Antonio to see what we can do for you!
