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What papers or canvas options do you offer?
We offer four distinct types of fine art papers plus canvas with two unique finish choices. If you would like to receive a FREE sample of our paper and canvas options call (888) 628-3833, Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 5:30pm (Eastern) or email Customer.Service@AmericanFrame.com.
Epson Ultra Smooth Fine Art
• Heavy, acid free, smooth creamy-white fine art paper
• Great for virtually any type of art including pastels, watercolors, acrylics, oils, charcoal drawings, or photographs
• 100% cotton rag, 15 mil thickness
• Epson archival rating: Over 75 years with UltraChrome inks
Epson Somerset Velvet
• Heavy, acid free, textured paper with a radiant white surface
• The paper of choice for watercolor reproduction. Also nice for pastels.
• 100% cotton rag, 19 mil thickness
• Epson archival rating: Over 75 years with UltraChrome inks
Epson Premium Luster Photographic Paper
• Heavy, white photographic paper with a slight gloss
• Favored by photographers for black and white as well as color images, and artists for general purpose printing. Engineered to give the highest resolution and color gamut of all Epson papers. Also nice for general purpose art reproduction.
• Durable, photographic feel. 10 mil thickness
• Epson archival rating: Over 45 years with UltraChrome inks
Epson Double Weight Matte Paper
• A low cost alternative for high resolution output
• Economical choice for general purpose art and photographic printing
• Double weight thickness: 8.3 mil
• Epson archival rating: Over 37 years with UltraChrome inks
Bulldog Canvas
• Smooth, white, fine art, water resistant canvas
• An on-trend choice for virtually any type of art
• Matte, 20 mil poly-cotton blend
• Laminating or coating is highly recommended for maximum UV protection and scratch resistance. Laminate choices are UV matte for a soft finish or UV luster for a higher sheen look. Protection required for stretched or dry-mounted canvases.
• Can be shipped stretched or rolled. Stretching requires lamination. Rolled can be shipped uncoated.
• Archival rating not available.
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What kind of printing process do you use?
We use Epson Stylus 9800 Pro wide-format printers with the new 8-color ink technology and a variety of fine art papers designed for high quality art reproduction on a custom basis. The Stylus 9800 utilizes an intricate spray process known as “giclee” which allows for the detail of the original image to be transferred to print. The Epson UltraChrome K3 archival inks achieve superior color expression on a wide variety of media. With improved pigment density and a soft, uniform resin coating, sharp image reproduction can be accomplished, along with significant light and water resistance.
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Will you stretch and frame my canvas for me?
Yes, there are several options that we offer:
1) Standard Stretch
• Most common and economical stretching method when a canvas print is to be framed
• The image is centered on the front of the stretcher bars and a white border around the image is secured to the sides
• Up to ¼ “ of the image may wrap onto the sides
• ¾” deep stretcher bars are specified
• Lamination required
• When framing, be sure to choose a frame with a minimum ¾’ rabbet depth
• Maximum size: 38” x 48”
• Minimum size: 6” x 6”
2) Gallery Wrap
• A Gallery Wrap takes the image and wraps it all the way around the stretcher bars to the back where it is secured
• Since the outside 1 ¾” of the image is wrapped around the stretcher bars, this method is most suitable for landscapes or abstract images or portraits with sufficient background to accommodate the wrapped sides
• Does not require a frame for display
• 1 ½” deep stretcher bars are specified
• Lamination required
• Maximum size: 36” x 45”
• Minimum size: 6” x 6”
3) Museum Wrap
• The image is centered on the front of the stretcher bars and the white borders are wrapped around the edges and secured on the back, giving the sides a clean, crisp look.
• Up to ¼ “ of the image may wrap onto the sides
• Does not require a frame for display
• 1 ½” deep stretcher bars are specified
• Lamination required
• Maximum size: 36” x 45”
• Minimum size: 6” x 6”
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How should I send you my image for printing?
There are several ways to send us your image:
1) Take a digital picture and upload your image file directly to our website. When you upload your image, we will determine the optimal print size for that file. From there, you’re ready to print, frame and receive your finished product. Need help photographing your art? Take advantage of our in-house photographic capabilities. Click here for details.
2) Scan and then upload your file. Scanning will be necessary in the event that your image is on a small photograph, slide or transparency. We do provide scanning services for your convenience. If we determine that additional photo editing is necessary to make the image printable, our photographic specialist will contact you to discuss and provide a quotation for editing services. Sizes are limited to 35mm negatives, 6x4.5cm negatives or transparencies, and photographs up to 8.5” x 11”.
3) Mail us your image if it is over 50 MB. Mail a CD or DVD containing the image to:
Printing Dept
American Frame Corp
400 Tomahawk Drive
Maumee, OH 43537
We will process images on disk for printing at no additional charge. Please still enter your printing order on-line by uploading a reduced size image to our web site for reference, and indicate in the “comments” section that a CD or DVD has been mailed.
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How can I take a picture of my artwork so that it is the best quality for you to print?
To take the best possible picture, set your camera to the largest size it can take and at the finest picture quality setting before shooting. This will utilize your digital camera to the maximum of its megapixels capability. Refer to your camera manual and look for where it talks about size of image in pixels for further assistance. Choose the largest size possible it offers, usually ranging from small to large. Then, find a setting to adjust the quality of the picture. Sometimes referred to as the compression of the image and has settings such as normal, fine and superfine. Select the setting for the finest picture quality. Once you have these two settings adjusted, your camera is ready to photograph. Next, choose a well lit room where you can shine the light evenly on all sides of the artwork. Set your artwork up to take the picture from its centermost point. You don’t want to be at an angle where you are higher or lower than the center of the artwork, as this will cause your photograph to be distorted. Now you are ready to take the picture. If you are not comfortable with photographing your artwork yourself, another option would be to get it professionally photographed. Take advantage of our in-house photographic capabilities.
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Can you guarantee color matching to my originals?
Color is as important to us as it is to you! For color to be correct, it is very important that the digital image or scan you have provided is an accurate representation of your original. To ensure the most accurate color match possible, a proof sheet can be ordered for any image, on any of our paper or canvas choices. Since various papers and/or canvases differ in the way they absorb ink and reflect light, the choice of paper may affect how the final color is perceived.
Proof Sheet: For $15.00 per proof, we will print out 5, 4x6 color samples on a single paper of your choice, each with a slight change in hue for you to approve. When you receive your proof, simply contact us with the approved image number and we will save this information for future reference. You can keep your proof sheet for your own reference.
Resolution Proof: For an additional $10.00 we will take a small portion of your image and print it at 100% on a 4x6 sheet of paper for your evaluation. A resolution proof is unnecessary if you follow our sizing guidelines in the upload process.
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Why doesn't the color in my print match what I see on my monitor?
There are actually a few possible reasons. Two of the computer reasons for this issue are: 1) The printable range of the colors you are trying to print are not available with normal inks. For this you should check your gamut warning levels in your image editor. 2) Your computer monitor might be out of calibration (if it has ever been color calibrated at all).
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If I order a 16 x 20 print only without a frame, what kind of border size can I expect around my image?
We routinely add a 1” border to pieces printed on a fine art paper, and 1 ½” to canvases that are un-stretched. If you would like a larger border on your image, simply add it to your image in Photoshop before uploading to place your order. If you don’t have that capability, just state your preference in the ‘notes” section of your order and we will contact you with the final size and price of your image before proceeding to production.
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How large do you print?
We can print up to 42” wide and up to 90” long on our papers. For Standard stretched canvases our maximum size is 38” x 45”. For our Gallery and Museum stretching the maximum size is 36” x 45”.
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How quickly can I expect my order?
Expect your order to ship within 3-5 business days generally, shipping time depends on type of print ordered and if it is custom framed. In a rush? Let us know and we will do our best to serve you. Keep in mind, during the peak holiday season, almost every order is a rush, so we do need to process orders on a first come, first serve basis.
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If I order prints from you, will you frame them for me?
Absolutely… and it’s FREE. There are no additional assembly or framing fees when you purchase your print and frame from us. Your finished artwork will arrive professionally framed and ready to hang right out of the box.
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Do you offer any volume discounts?
Since we opened our doors in the early 70’s, our pricing philosophy has always been this: price as low as possible on the single order and the volume will follow. We were the first in the industry to sell at wholesale prices direct to the consumer, and although it appears that many on the Internet state that claim, when you compare their prices to ours, you will find that statement to be false. For this reason, we don’t artificially mark up our products just so we can offer deep discounts on volume.
That said, when you do have a quantity order, we do gain some production efficiencies which we are happy to pass on to you. Our quantity discount schedule is:
25- 124 – 10%
125 – 249 -12%
250- 499 - 15%
500 -999 – 18%
1000 or over – 20%
Discount schedule only applies to regularly priced items.
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Still have questions about printing?
Feel free to email the printing department at: printdept@americanframe.com
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