After seeing @photocanvas post a couple offers of a free canvas print for a link and a review on my blog I decided to give it a try. First, I was given a free 16x20 gallery stretched canvas in return for a link to zazagallery.com and a review on my blog. There was no mention or request that the review be a positive review or in anyway be anything but honest. So below is my honest opinion. I sent this photo via email to be made into a canvas print.
A few weeks later a huge FedEx box showed up in my office. I was pretty surprised because I thought I would be getting an 8x10 inch print. Much to my surprise it was 16x24 inches and beautiful. I was blown away.
This is my first print on canvas and I must say, it is a very interesting look. I hung it on a wall in our living room, above our funky chair. It is a good location because that is Olivia’s chair for tv viewing and playing on the laptop.
While typically one cannot see the texture of the canvas because the position of the chair naturally keeps the viewing distance at least four feet, at night when there is only one lamp on in our living room shimmers of light sparkle from the print. This may or may not be a good thing depending on your personal tastes, but I like it. It is kind of difficult for me to describe, but the word shimmer comes to mind. It does not obscure the image at all, just adds some interest.
Here is a close up of the print with very harsh side lighting to accentuate the texture of the canvas. It is not a great representation of the quality of the actual print, but should help show the difference of canvas compared to a typical print on paper.
One of the things I like about having an image printed on canvas and then stretched around a frame is that there is no need to worry about a frame. With the canvas stretched over what is essentially a wood frame, it will look absolutely great just hanging on your wall. Below is a side view of the image hanging on the wall. It is just under two inches this and the image wraps all the way around the frame, so it looks good from any angle. The only gotcha is that you might want to think about what is at the edges of the image. I personally like the gallery wrap option that takes the image all the way around the edges. However, you can choose a white edge, black edge, blurred edge or a mirrored edge.
Unfortunately the piece did not come with an easy method for hanging, but a couple simple eye screws and picture wire solved that problem in less than five minutes. Considering people have different methods they prefer for hanging pictures on the wall, I think it is best that the canvas came with nothing as apposed to something that I did not like and would have to remove. My preference is to have the piece hang snugly up against the wall, so that is why I went with the eye screws and wire.
Another small benefit is that this very large image is very light. I did not weigh it, but I doubt it is over four or five pounds. While this might not be a big deal to most, I live in an old home with plaster walls. To only need one small Ook hanger is huge! No trashed walls when hanging.
While I received this for free, the price listed on their website of $78 plus $15 shipping is more than fair. To get a professionally printed image at this size is going to cost a minimum of $20 and probably more. If you then add in a frame and matting, the price is easily going to go above $100, no shipping. If you cannot do the framing yourself, don’t forget to add that charge.
Overall my opinion of the canvas I received from Zaza Gallery is that it is gorgeous! I find the colors to be deep, rich and accurate. The quality of the printing is great. I can see detail in the individual hairs in the fur lining of Olivia’s hood. The quality of the product is top notch and I could not be happier. I have already started thinking about the next canvas I want to order. After all I have two daughters.
My one piece of advice if you order a canvas, don’t think of it as simply a print to put on the wall. This is truly a piece of art that will be a focal point in our home.
This is Molly. One of my favorite images from a day long shoot of