Canvas vs Metal Print: Which Wall Wants Which

How do canvas and metal prints differ?

The difference is the surface and the edge. A metal print puts the image on a smooth, coated metal sheet. A canvas print puts ink on woven canvas and wraps it around a wooden frame. Everything else in the table follows from those two facts.

Where does a metal print suit a wall, and why do we not make one?

Metal suits one sharp photograph on a wall where you control the light. A macro of frost on a leaf, a night skyline where every window is a point of light and a glass and steel building all gain from a glossy surface. The gloss adds depth and the flat sheet gives a crisp, modern edge, which is why metal turns up in kitchens, offices and hallways.

We do not make metal prints, so the rest of this guide is about the canvas we do make. If metal is the right surface for your wall, you will find it elsewhere: Displate sells art printed on steel plates with a magnetic mount, and CanvasDiscount prints metal from your own photograph. Our acrylic vs canvas print guide covers the other glossy surface in the same way.

What does a gallery wrap canvas look like on the wall?

A gallery wrap canvas is a printed canvas stretched over a solid wooden inner frame, with the image continuing around the sides. Ours is printed to order on museum-quality canvas with archival inks that resist fading, and it arrives ready to hang. The frame is about 1.25 inches deep, so the piece stands off the wall and throws a soft shadow line. There is no separate frame, no glass and no staple on the face.

The finish is matte as standard. That is the practical difference from a glossy surface: a window or lamp lights the canvas evenly, and the picture reads from most positions in the room. The sides matter too, because you see them as you walk past. On a gallery wrap they carry the image on, so the piece reads as an object with depth, not a flat sheet. Our gallery wrap guide shows the edge and what a wrap takes from the front of the picture.

Which canvas size and layout fits which wall?

Size the canvas to the furniture below it, at about two thirds of its width, then pick the shape the wall wants. The table lists each layout with its overall sizes, read from the product options. Sizes differ a little by piece, so check the options on the product page before you order.

When does a multi panel set beat a single canvas?

A multi panel set beats a single canvas on a wide wall when the image has a horizon, a skyline or a path that can run across the gaps. A set is one image split over three, four or five stretched canvases, hung with a half inch gap that the listed size already includes, so the eye finishes the picture across it. Sets are how canvas fills a wall wider than 48 inches, up to 82 x 42 inches overall.

Choose a single canvas when the subject sits in the middle of the picture, because the gap of a four panel set lands on it. An odd count, three or five panels, keeps a whole panel at the center. Our guides to multi panel versus single canvas and to arranging a three piece set go through each layout, and the Multi Panel Wall Art collection holds them.

Pro tip: Cut two strips of card half an inch wide and use them as spacers while you hang, so both gaps match.

Which rooms suit canvas better than a glossy surface?

Canvas reads better wherever the light is uncontrolled: a living room with a window opposite the art wall, a bedroom with a bedside lamp, a dining room lit from the ceiling. The matte finish scatters light, so no part of the picture turns into a bright patch as the day moves, and the large formats suit the big walls in those rooms. A glossy surface competes best in a small room where you control the light.

In a living room, hang a 3 Horizontal or a 5 Star over the sofa; the Living Room Wall Art collection is the place to start. In a bedroom, a panoramic single above the headboard suits a calm image. A dining room takes a three panel row along the long wall, and an entry or hall takes one tall vertical canvas. For statement sizes, see Large Wall Art.

Should you frame a canvas print?

A gallery wrap canvas does not need a frame: it is finished on its own, and a frame is a choice about the room. Framed Canvas is the same canvas with a frame added around it, and the Finish picker on a product page shows where it is offered. Framed Print is a different product, a fine art paper print set behind glass, and it is not canvas.

Choose a frame when the room already has molding or period detail, when the image is pale and would fade into a pale wall, or when the piece joins a mixed gallery wall. Leave a multi panel set unframed, because frames would break the image into boxes. Our canvas print vs framed print guide covers all three finishes, and the Framed Wall Art collection holds the framed pieces.

How do you hang a canvas so it sits level?

Hang from a center line, not from the top edge, and check every piece with a level. A canvas is light and arrives ready to hang, so most walls need only the right hook.

1. Find the center line: 57 to 60 inches from the floor on a bare wall, or the bottom edge 6 to 8 inches above furniture.
2. Mark the center of the furniture, not the wall, and pencil one level line for the top edge.
3. For a set, cut two card strips half an inch wide to use as spacers.
4. Hang the middle panel first, then the outer panels against the strips.
5. Check each piece with a level before you step back.

Our picture hanging height guide gives the 57 and 60 inch rules, and the guide to hanging canvas art without nails covers rented walls.

How do you care for a canvas print?

A canvas needs a dry microfiber cloth and very little else. Dust it gently in one direction. Skip household cleaning sprays, since canvas is fabric with ink on it and not a wipeable surface. Hold it by the wooden frame, because pressing on the face from the front is the usual cause of a dent, and keep long hours of direct sun off it, as with any print. Our guide to cleaning and protecting a canvas print covers storage.

Watch out: A stretched canvas has some give, so a hard knock to the face can leave a dent. Hang it out of the path of bags, chairs and swinging doors.

What should you check before you choose canvas?

• The wall and the furniture below it, measured in inches, with two thirds of the furniture width as the target.
• The shape the wall wants: wide, long and low, narrow or square.
• The layout photo on the product page, to see where the panel gaps fall on the picture.
• The light: a window opposite the wall is where canvas has the clearest edge over a glossy surface.
• The frame, decided last, once the subject and size are set.