Giclee Stretching Class

You may use the following technique to stretch giclees as well as original paintings on canvas or even blank canvas. For those customers who purchase either rolled giclees or extra large originals this may help you to do the stretching yourself while saving you some money. With a little practice you'll be stretching canvas like a pro! Don't be affraid to try but if you feel like its just not working out then by all means consult your local frame shop or email us with any questions.

Supplies you will need to stretch canvas giclees onto stretcher bars.

• Clean working surface, a flat cardboard panel works great. Make sure the surface is free of any abbrasive particles  that could scratch the art work. Also make sure the surface is completley flat with no wrinkles or creases, as those could make an impression on the canvas or cause it to stretch unevenly.
• Staple gun with staples, T50 1/4"
  
• Flat Screwdriver, in case you need to remove any staples.
• Hammer, for pushing the staples in case the stape gun doesn't shoot them in deep enough.
  
• Sharp Blade, for triming the canvas.
• Scissors, in case you need additional trimming.
• Pliers, to pull out staples when necessary.
• Measuring tape
• Permanent Marker, for marking the fold lines.
• Stretcher Bars, make sure they are the same size as your art work. For gallery wrap stretching you will need stretchers bars with a thicker profile, usually they will be about 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" thick. Usually our giclees are made for stretcher bars up to 1 1/2" thick. If your stretcher bars are thinner, it is okay for some of the image to wrap around the back side.
• Artwork, if your artwork is rolled you may want to lay it flat for a while to make it easier to work with. A good way is to lay it face down and hold the edges with paper weights, do not put heavy objects on the part where the image is as this may damage your artwork.
• Picture Hanging Wire, for hanging your artwork on the wall. Make sure the wire meets the requirements to support the weight of your artwork and any additional framing used.
• Screw eyes, for attaching the wire to the artwork.
• 3" Long Nail, for tightening the screw eyes.

Step by step guide to do it yourself canvas stretching.

 1. Clean your hands 
      To prevent damage to your valuable artwork make sure your hands are free
           of any dirt or oils which could mark or damage your print.
 
 2. Aligning your artwork    
  Make sure the stretcher bars are of the correct size. Align the top left and right edges to see that the image will fit horizontally on the stretcher bars (a), then check that the bottom edges align as well (b). Then align the top and bottom left and right edges to see that the image aligns vertically as well (c).  



    a.
   
     b.

    b.

    c.

        Prepare to lift your print and stretcher bars.

        Make sure you keep the print in the aligned
                                                                   position as you carefully flip it over.

        Carefully put the stretcher bars over the  
                                                                   bottom edge of the print and make sure
                                                                   the top edges are aligned.

        Check again that the top and side      
                                                                   edges align well.

        Fold the top margin of the canvas over the
                                                                   stretcher bars, making sure the image
                                                                   boundary does not go over the edge. If you
                                                                   are stretching a gallery wrapped image
                                                                   this would be the part where the front
                                                                   image meets the side (mirror) image.

        Go ahead and staple the canvas to the
                                                                   back of the stretcher bars about midway
                                                                   down the length of the stretcher bars. If
                                                                   your giclee print does not have wide
                                                                   enough margins then you can staple on
                                                                   the outside edge of the stretcher bars.                                                                     
                                                   

        Hold the canvas tightly in place while
                                                                  stapling.



                      Once you staple one side you can then turn
                                                                  over the print to staple the opposite side.


        Now make sure you align the
                                                                               opposite (in this case bottom)
                                                                               edges and proceed to stapling
                                                                               this side as in the previous step.

         This time you can stretch the canvas in
                                                                     the center. Make it as tight as possible
                                                                     without over stretching the image. Some
                                                                     giclees may get warped if you pull too
                                                                     tight.
                              

    Its normal to see a stretched line at
                                                                        this point, it will be evened out when 
                                                                        we staple the sides.


    Hold the canvas in place.

    Staple once.

    Now top and bottom are stapled.

    Now proceed to the sides.

    Notice that we are only pulling tight the area
                                                           between the center and the side that we are
                                                           stapling. Do not try to pull all the way too much
                                                           as you want to avoid miss aligning the opposite
                                                           side. Wait until all 4 sides have at least 1 staple
                                                           on them and then you can pull tight all the way.

    Staple the side when ready.

    Now go ahead and tighten all the way when
                                                           stapling the last side, the stretched area now
                                                           should resemble a diamond shape, with its
                                                           points terminating in the centers of the four
                                                           stretcher bars.


      Check that the area is nice and tight, almost
                                                          like a drum, dont leave too much slack but dont
                                                          over tighten either.

   Check again that the picture is aligned
                                                                     before going any further, if you need use
                                                                     your screw driver to redo any of the 4
                                                                     staples you just did. Better now than
                                                                     later when you have dozens of staples
                                                                     already in.

   Staple the long edges first,
                                                                                    do a few staples at a time
                                                                                    then some on the opposite
                                                                                    side.

  

   Now make a few on the
                                                                                           sides.

   Always work from the middle out, that way you will
                                                 avoid wrinkles.



     If you need, remove staples, remember the art!
                                                         point away from the image to avoid disasters.



      Check that the surface is even often.

      Now you are ready to do the corners.

   Fold on the top and bottom
                                                                                  edges, this helps conceal the
                                                                                  fold marks.

   Pre-fold to make sure
                                                                                               you have enough
                                                                                               canvas.

  

    Staple the rest of the side.
  
    Now fold and staple the folds
                                                                                    on top and bottom edges.

    Use a few more staples here.

   

      Go ahead with the rest of the sides

   

   

      A clean corner!

    All sides stapled now.

     If necessary trim excess canvas carefully. This
                                                            is optional and usually not necessary unless
                                                            the canvas gets in the way of hanging. Usually
                                                            its better to have more canvas in case you
                                                            ever need to re-stretch it.

    

             

             



              Use scissors for loose threads.





              All done, like a pro!






              


                 Now you can attach the hanging
                                                                      hardware. Its best to place it about 3/4
                                                                      of the way up the picture so that it
                                                                      hangs evenly against the wall. If you
                                                                      want to hang your art very high, you may
                                                                      want to angle it downwards, this may be
                                                                      achieved by placing the hanging
                                                                      hardware lower on the picture, about
                                                                      half way down.



                Now use a nail to make a pilot hole for the
                                                             screw eyes.



               Tap the nail in 1/8 of an inch and remove.



            
             Do the other side.
    
     Screw in the Screw Eyes.

     Use the nail to tighten them.


    

     Now loop the wire in. Cut
                                                                                       enough wire to span the
                                                                                       length of the picture plus an
                                                                                       extra 4 inches on either side
                                                                                       in case you need to adjust
                                                                                       the length later.

     Secure the wire.

     A loop and a knot should do it.

    

    

       Wrap the excess around the wire
                                                                             you may need some slack for later.
                                                                             Then do the same on the opposite
                                                                             side.

     Now your art is ready to hang
                                                                                      on your walls. Note that if
                                                                                      you frame your art its best to
                                                                                      attach the hardware to your
                                                                                      frame as they tend to be
                                                                                      heavier than the canvas.

     

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