| Align and stretch canvas |
© 2009 John Ellsworth • All rights reserved.
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| One of the problems of stretching a photo-on-canvas, is proper alignment--the first time! Below is a method I use whereby you transfer a photo's boundaries to the back of the image which will then guide the placement of your stretcher frame before you begin stapling.
Along with your canvas print, you will need the following: a soft cloth to cover your work area, a soft-face hammer, carpenter's square, staple gun, canvas-stretcher pliers, scissors, pencil, and a straightedge.
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In your imaging editing program, increase your canvas size by two inches on all sides. This will be the area that folds around the stretcher-strip frame.
Then draw a one-half inch line (2-4 pixels wide) that correspond to the perimeters of the image. After printing your canvas, these will be your canvas guidelines.
After printing, your image will look like this:
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Assemble your stretcher-bar frame. Make sure each corner is a right angle using a carpenter's square. Tap into alignment with a soft-face hammer.
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Staple across the diagonal seam with a manual or electric stapler gun. I usually staple three times on each corner, spreading out proportionately.
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Once your stretcher frame is squared and assembled, cut a small incision along each of the eight guidelines.
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| Invert your print and fold one side of each cut upward as shown. These will act as stops for your straightedge. |
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| Rest a ruler or other straightedge up against each of the cut "ears" and draw a pencil line from one end to the other on each of the four sides. |
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| Align the stretcher frame within the penciled boundaries. |
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| Staple one side in the middle.
You're going to work from the centers to the edges, thus distributing the tension as evenly as possible.
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| Using a canvas stretcher pliers, pull the opposite side as tight as possible, then staple. |
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| Proceed around the corner in the same fashion so you have the centers of each side stapled. |
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| Now staple from the middle toward the ends. You can probably staple once on each side of a center staple, then proceed to the opposite side and do likewise. Work your way around. |
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| Leave a couple of inches of unstapled canvas at each of the corners so you can fold and tuck the edges. |
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| Staple each corner after it's folded.
Finish stapling any area that has a gap left near the corners.
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| Once your corners are finished, invert your stretcher frame and admire your photo. |
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