Who can print on canvas wider than 50 inches

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SavannaFA

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My first post here, I hope I can get some advice without breaking any forum rules. I am in search of a really good printing company (or experienced individual who can offer a printing and framing service) in the UK (and also in the US) with the ability to print on high quality canvas, with protective laminate, in large format (wider than 50 inches on the shortest side). I have spent days looking for suitable companies, but the majority do not print wider than 40 inches (44 inches if you include a 2 inch border all round). The large printing labs that can handle wider prints offer very limited customization options. And some have simply not bothered to reply to my email.

I sell large format fine art canvas prints of the work of selected photographers. I am not here to promote my business. I am hoping to get a recommendation on whom I can approach with my requirements. I have a fantastic printer in South Africa, but I need a printer and fulfillment partner in the UK who can print and ship my orders to UK customers, and a similar partner in the US who can do the same there. Someone who can create top quality canvas prints in wide format (up to 50 inches wide on the shortest side), can professionally stretch or gallery wrap these over 1.5" stretcher bars, package it and ship white label (or with my brand) to my customers.

I have tried some of the bigger labs but they all have certain limitations that are deal breakers for me. I would prefer working with a smaller bespoke printer or photographer who is a master at large format printing on canvas, and can handle the framing and shipping as well. Right now I'm not planning on doing automatic order fulfillment through API from my website.

Can anyone recommend someone in the UK (and in the US if you know someone) I can contact? It goes without saying that it needs to be someone reliable who can offer a professional service at top notch quality. I would prefer not to work with any Tom Dick or Harry who recently bought his first large format printer and set it up in his garage.
 
I should perhaps add that so far I have found printers who can do what I want but won't add a custom branded note or certificate of authenticity, or they can print but can't laminate sizes larger than 60x40, or they can print wide canvas but they won't add a mirrored edge on a loose canvas print on request (only a standard white border), or they won't add the photographer's digital signature and want a print ready file. Or they only print in sRGB.

The original high res files I have from the photographers are in Adobe RGB, in jpg format (10,000 pixels longest side). Since jpg is lossy I don't want to add the borders and digital signature on my side, scale the image to the correct printing size, and send that off for printing. I would prefer the printer to handle that directly in their printing software, so the image does not have to be resaved again before printing. So I want to be able to send the high res jpg file in RGB color to the printer, and let the printer handle the preparation of the file for printing (scale to correct size, add mirrored border, add digital signature of photographer if the customer requested that, etc). Then print, gallery wrap and ship to customer in a quick turnaround time (5-7 day turnaround time per single order).

But I'm having trouble finding a printer in the UK and the US who can do all the above, at a reasonable price, and match the product details so that I don't have to offer different options in the US and UK (such as depth of spreader bars).

Thanks in advance for any advice or recommendations.

PS you won't believe the number of companies who simply do not reply to an email request from a potential multi order client. Baffles the mind.
 
Hi and welcome to TP

I state the obvious in that the smaller figure will always indicate the printer width.................and I surmise there are not many printing companies that invest in the exotica of 50inch wide and greater printers.

A quick Google reveals that (only?) Epson and HP make 64inch wide printers at >£20,000 cost.

If it is not possible to find a pro lab who can print the size you require, maybe contact Epson and HP to ask them who in the UK and USA have these printers in use???

PS no idea if they have that size of printer but cant hurt to ask this company https://printfoundrylab.com/canvas_prints1

HTH a bit :)
 
Thank you, yes that is a good tip, to maybe contact Epson and see if they can direct me to a customer who owns the 64" printers (if they keep records of such). I have emailed dozens of companies and print labs before posting here. About half of them don't even reply. The other half don't meet the requirements we're looking for. All we're trying to do is match what we can offer in the US and the UK, and my initial email includes the following list of requirements:

Here's what we're looking for:
  • Top quality canvas and expert printing. Treated cotton canvas with protective matte or semi-gloss laminate for durability and UV protection.
  • Ability to print in large format on canvas at least up to 54" wide (roll width).
  • Ability to print and stretch any custom sizes up to 72x48". Not just a small selection of standard sizes, but custom sizes made to order.
  • Ability to handle certain customizations such as mirrored border (for loose canvas prints as well as gallery wraps), adding photographer's digital signature, inserting a branded note or certificate of authenticity from photographer with each package, etc.
  • Ability to handle the printing, professional stretching over 1.5" spreader bars, careful packaging and shipping to the customer with white label shipping (or custom branded shipping with our own logo).
  • Quick turnaround time (max 5-7 days per single canvas order).
  • Competitive wholesale pricing (we'll have regular orders for you).
  • Willingness to prepare high res jpg files for printing (scale to correct size, add custom border, add photographer's signature, etc) and print in Adobe RGB (not sRGB).
It's a long list, I know. But I'd rather be upfront about what we need than waste people's time.

I will also contact printfoundrylab, thank you.
 
@viewfromthenorth

The OP has quite a list of criteria and I wonder whether he will find a UK and/or a US based company that will meet all his exacting needs in regard to file handling and the 'finishing' of the printed canvas.

A general business one that stands out to me is " Competitive wholesale pricing (we'll have regular orders for you)."

The number of times I heard that sort of statement when I was still working in B2B print related materials (indeed previous B2B sales of other materials) is way beyond the fingers of one hand ;) As in yes, discounted prices are possible but not on the promise of "jam to tomorrow". There was always the mutually agreed 'contract' based on sales values within say 12 months and if met an end of year repayment................the companies willing to sign that sort of agreement were less that the fingers on one hand :LOL:

@SavannaFA I wish you well in expanding your business but what you find works (to your full criteria) on home territory does not necessarily work well IMO when finding a supplier overseas. I stand to be corrected but this is my opinion & experience.
 
Box Brownie yeah it comes across badly, I know. Let me perhaps explain the reason for the list of requirements. Due to Covid it is not ideal to use one supplier and ship our products internationally. Canvas printing is done to a high standard in every country, so it should be possible to route our orders to a local printer in the country where the order is from, who can then dropship it locally to our customer at much lower cost (and much quicker) than shipping it internationally. So my goal is to find a printing partner in the US and UK (and mainland Europe) who can roughly meet the same specs and standard, at a similar price. It's no good having vastly different product details or pricing for different countries.

But this exercise is proving rather more challenging than I thought. Everyone seems to use different thickness spreader bars. Different types of canvas. Some offer a protective laminate in choice of matte, semi-gloss and high gloss. Others only offer matte laminate, or simply do not offer a protective coat or laminate at all, or only up to 60x40 but not larger. Some print in Adobe RGB. Others print in sRGB which can cause problems if my files are in Adobe RGB. A number of excellent companies meet all the requirements but only print up to 60x40. Of those who can print 72x48, which is our most popular size, the pricing ranges from $250 to $750 for a gallery wrap. Hence the bullet point about competitive wholesale pricing. I can't pay a printer $250 in one country and pay another printer $750 for the same product in another country. Small differences are fine.

Yes, it is a rather specific list of criteria, and if it wasn't I would have found a suitable printer long ago. I'm turning to this forum after weeks of searching, hoping that someone here has had a really good experience with a printing company who can print in large format and matches most of the criteria on that list.

Whitewall is a great example. Great company. They have a presence in the US, UK and Europe but all their orders are printed in Germany. Which means my UK and US customers have to pay for international shipping and wait much longer for delivery compared to a local company. (To deliver a 72x48" gallery wrap to the UK will cost $257). They were responsive and friendly and really wanted to help. But for unstretched canvas they only offer one type of border (white, 1.97"). That's no good if the customer wants a mirrored border and gallery wrap it themselves or at a framer of their choice. And alas, they print in sRGB, not Adobe RGB.

So the list of requirements is there not to show how anally retentive I am with my long list of impossible demands. It is there to avoid wasting people's time with long emails backwards and forwards only to discover at some point that they cannot print in Adobe RGB or whatever.

But thank you both for your helpful replies so far, it is much appreciated. I know new members on forums can be a pain. They've contributed nothing but want all kinds of help and advice. So I do appreciate the replies so far. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
 
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