Happy Easter 2018!

Wishing you all a happy Easter!

A reminder that we are closed Friday, March 30th, but will reopen Monday, April 2nd.

KeenArt Media is an online fine art printing and framing company, specializing in canvas, archival and photographic prints and reproductions. We are proud to serve and support artists from all over the US. 

KeenArt Media Ltd. Toll Free: 1-888-533-6278 

www.USAonCanvas.com

Working Hours: Pacific Standard Time

8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Monday to Thursday

8:30 AM to 4:00 PM Friday 

Photographing Your Artwork at Home - Our Tips

Before you have your work scanned for print reproduction, you're bound to want to post the product first. In order to make sure your customers get the best idea of your artwork, excellent, accurate photography is key.

Although these tips are to help you capture your artwork better via photograph, these photographic files should not be used for reproduction.  No matter how visually accurate the colors may appear, a photograph will always capture slight hues and glares that may still influence the print after editing. Therefore, we always recommend you do scans of your artwork, as these scans are edited and tested to ensure that the printers produce color that is as accurate as possible to the original.

1. Center your artwork.

This may be a no brainer, but having your artwork square and centre helps anchor the viewer and the image. Try making sure your camera is aligned so that it is parallel to the artwork - not tilting forward or back, to get the clearest shot.

2. Take clear shots. 

Best way to guarantee this: use a tripod. Better yet, take photos with a proper camera with adjustable lenses, as point-and-shoot functions on cameras can focus incorrectly, and you have less control to manipulate them.

3. Don't use camera flash.

Although this seems counter-productive, camera-flashes often over-expose the artwork in front of it. Instead, take a photo with natural light in the room - with the artwork by a window, or outside on a cloudy day, for best color clarity.

4. Resin or coat after photography.

If you're planning on coating or resinging your painting, do it after you have taken a photo of the matte version. Otherwise, the your reflection may be captured in the resin, or the coating will bounce back any natural light into your camera.

5. Use proper lighting and exposure.

If access to overcast skies or natural sunlight is not possible, try making your own lightboxes at home. Also, make sure the settings on your phone camera are adjusted for the light you have - this way you won't overexpose your artwork, and you'll be able to better tweak it in your app's editing software.

We hope this helped! Have any other tips to share for your at-home shooting that we've missed? Let us know in the comments below! Used our tips and ready to print? Upload your file today!


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KeenArt Media is a family-owned printing company specializing in fine art prints and reproduction services. Whether it's for the home or for the gallery, we have you covered.  Inquire today!

KeenArt Media Ltd. Toll Free: 1-88-533-6278
www.USAOnCanvas.com
Working Hours:
8:30 AM to 5:00PM Monday to Thursday
8:30 AM to 4:00PM Friday

Printing Logos for Office Decor

There's nothing that symbolizes a business's values and practice better than a logo. But why stop at just marketing materials? A large piece of art with your business' name in the foyer or reception area makes a huge impact on customers: that you're proud of your business, that its identity is worth hugely celebrating.

So when it comes to printing logos for office decor, we have a few tips to make your order easier. We'll talk about file size and set up, as well as the pro and cons of the most common choices of printing for office decor.

An example of a company's core values printed onto canvas.

File Size + Setup

When looking for a file to send us, there are two options:

• A raster (or .jpeg) file
• a vector file (anything ending in .ai, .svg, .eps)

If you have a .jpeg file, you will have to check in with your graphic designer (or us) to see if it is has enough information to be printed at the size you're looking for. 

If your graphic designer has already placed the logo in a file with a background and has set it to the size it will be printed at, then it should be high enough quality. Their file should also have a bleed (for edges), and set in Adobe RGB

If neither of these options are possible, please send us the logo in a vector format. This will allow us to scale the logo up without losing any quality or information.  We can quickly put together a mock up for you and send you a proof before we proceed with printing.

Choose Your Material

Depending on the look you are going for, some materials will be a better fit than others. Here are some of our recommendations and why:

• Canvas - With canvas, you can't go wrong. Traditional, warm, and coated with UV-protected finishes, the colors of your logo will remain vibrant and vivid for years to come. Lightweight, inexpensive, and easy to clean (just wipe the dust off with microfibre cloth). An excellent long-term solution. They can also be ordered in custom sizes, to fit whatever space you need to fill. 

• Plaque Mounting - A little more formal, but definitely has a more "sign-like" appeal. With beveled edges and your choice of color, plaque mountings are a little more conservative, informational, and polished. They are also finished with a soft matte-laminate, which makes the colors vibrant while also easy to clean. They have a little more permanence and are not as easy to hang as canvases, but make excellent, official impressions. They can also be ordered in custom sizes, to fit whatever space you need to fill. 

• Metal Prints - If you're looking for something much more modern, metal prints are now all the rage. They function just like plaque mounts, and are durable as well as scratch resistant. They are also much more lightweight than plaques, and have a clean, border-less edge. However, they are only available in standard sizes. They also come in two different finishes: white gloss and clear gloss. With white gloss, the images are bright and saturated. With clear gloss finish, the metallic texture will be more dominant, and will be seen in any area of the picture that is white. An excellent choice for businesses with a tech or lightspeed edge, or software start-ups.

Got your files ready? Let's get started! 

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KeenArt Media is a family-owned printing company specializing in fine art prints and reproduction services. Whether it's for the home or for the gallery, we have you covered.  Inquire today!
KeenArt Media Ltd. Toll Free: 1-88-533-6278
www.USAOnCanvas.com
Working Hours:
8:30 AM to 5:00PM Monday to Thursday
8:30 AM to 4:00PM Friday

Photo-Tex Adhesive Fabric

Did we mention that we've been uploading new videos to our channel? Make sure you check us out!

One of the products we've recently featured is our Photo-Tex Removable Adhesive.  It's got a lovely canvas-like texture, with an adhesive backing to stick on any surface. It can be used not once, not twice, but multiple times - which makes it a great option for wall murals, posters and signs.
What else can it do? It's also water-resistant, weather-resistant, doesn't tear or wrinkle and dries instantly.

If you've got an artwork file ready, head on over to USAOnCanvas and order today!

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KeenArt Media is a family-owned printing company specializing in fine art prints and reproduction services. Whether it's for the home or for the gallery, we have you covered.  Inquire today!
KeenArt Media Ltd. Toll Free: 1-88-533-6278
www.USAOnCanvas.com
Working Hours:
8:30 AM to 5:00PM Monday to Thursday
8:30 AM to 4:00PM Friday