Olympus have just announced three new Pen-series SLR-like cameras, showing their commitment to the mirrorless camera format… and we have to say we are tempted.

Sitting at the top of the range is the PEN E-P3 which features a new super-fast auto-focus system, a three-inch tap-sensitive OLED display and dials on the back for making quick adjustments to exposure and aperture.

Then there’s the Pen Lite E-PL3 which is described as being a scaled down version of the E-P3 and has a thinner camera body and swivelling LCD. The controls have also been slimmed down and simplified.

The PEN Mini (E-PM1) is then being marketed as ‘the world’s smallest and lightest system camera with interchangeable lenses’ and is an even smaller and simpler version of the E-PL3 having fewer buttons and a unique GUI.

Obviously all three of the cameras take the same interchangeable lenses which Olympus claim deliver SLR quality while being “remarkably small and chic.” Great news for all you documentary photographers looking to get canvas printing done on our larger sizes!

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The French word “Giclee” was invented to name the process of fine arts on Iris printers, done through an ink jet printing method from a digital source. This word was mainly taken from the French word “le gicleur” which means “nozzle”. To be more specific the word “glicer” means “to spurt” or “spray” through a nozzle. The word giclee was started by a print maker Jack Duganne in 1991. He was a print maker and used to work in a field for representing any kind of ink jet print which is used as fine arts. Giclee prints are often used in print shops and in galleries as a method for producing canvas prints.

Origin of giclee prints: Before the use of giclee printing, the methods of ink jet technology were used as an alternative option to serigraphy and lithography. Afterward, the word giclee was invented to describe the methods of digital prints used as fine arts. It was first created on the Iris graphics in the early 1990s with the help of continuous ink jet printers. Iris printers were initially used for producing the prepress proofs from the digital files for the job of colour matching. Gradually, giclee printing developed and became very popular among the publishers, artists, galleries and photographers for the fine art reproductions. Finally, in 2001 the GPA (Giclee Printers association) was formed where a clear distinction was made between a high quality giclee print and lower quality ink jet print. As the demand of art buyers purchasing high quality canvas prints have increased, the concept of giclee print became more popular.

Today’s giclee technology: Giclee printing has become a big hit among every photographer and artists. This type of printing is mainly used to make reproductions of the original artworks, photographs and canvas prints. This is more expensive than the old process of lithography which was traditionally used to get such reproductions. To get better results than lithography prints, high end archival inks are used. In this type of printing, there is a dot pattern which is not visible to the naked eyes. And its colors are very bright and fade resistant. Giclee is a technique used on various types of media. For example – canvas, archival adhesive paper, water color paper, etc.

The depth of giclee’s prints and its range of colors are far better than those of lithography prints. It has got a higher resolution than any other print. The secret behind this success is the combination of Archival Paper and Archival Pigment Inks, which makes light fastness for 100 years and can be extended up to 200 years in perfect lighting conditions. Nowadays, whether you’re interested in photography or scrapbooking or creating your own reproductions, you can easily get the art materials in cut sheets available on Internet. This type of print is more popular in today’s world because it provides depth and luminosity which represents the original work better than any other modern printing technique. Because of all these reasons, the concept of giclee printing is very popular among all the professional artists.

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To help celebrate the launch of our new website we’re giving away £500 of stunning canvas prints of your own photographs!

The 1st draw will be made when we reach 1000 members and remember the more friends and family you tell – the quicker the prize draw – plus we’re happy to split the vouchers between you!

To be in with a chance simply request to join this group and then click on the link below to authenticate your entry and make a note of the password that appears.

Join here

or to upload your photos on canvas, visit our homepage.

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The new Point101 website is looking good – it’s taking a little longer than anticipated but we want it to be just right. It will have a more intuitive user interface and be better designed to cope with the new options we will have available for our customers – such as lamination, mirror wraps online, colour wraps and effects for all our canvas printing.

We will keep you updated with the launch of our new photos on canvas website and of course our new perspex product which many of you have been asking about.

Canvas Printing · perspex

Think of art on canvas, and the image that usually springs to mind is one of a stereotypical painter carefully working his or her brush over a canvas stretched across an easel. Maybe you think of Da Vinci hard at work on the Mona Lisa, or Van Gogh painting landscapes out on some quiet hillside. Your own holiday snaps from last summer probably don’t come quite so readily to your thoughts – although there’s really no reason any more why they shouldn’t.

Printing photos (or technically any pre-existing image if you want to get adventurous) is now a straightforward and affordable process. Technology has advanced to the point where canvas printing is now available for anyone – the process has become so routine and cost-effective that some companies offer to print photos on to modestly-sized canvas for less than £10. For more average-sized art, it’s hard to find prices over the £25-30 range.

Canvas in the 21st century is no longer reserved for the serious professionals of the artistic world. Technology has made it accessible for the masses. Canvas printing offers consumers the chance to decorate their homes with their own photos and prints, rather than commercial art. Family photos in a frame are one thing, but canvas prints tend to bring a much more professional veneer to interior decor. When the ability to customise home decorations to such an extent is so readily available, there will always be a market for it.

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Viewing treasured memories on a computer screen isn’t quite the same as seeing your favourite images elegantly framed on the wall of your home. Even the piles of photos stashed away in albums or boxes aren’t able to be appreciated in the way we’d like.

That could all change however, with the advent of canvas photo technology. By taking your own pictures using a digital camera and having them printed onto canvas, your photos become a work of art.

Practically anything can be printed onto canvas, so you’re only limited by your imagination. It could be a beautiful family portrait, a memento of a holiday or other special occasion, or your favourite landscape.

Chances are, in the past you have gone to the trouble of printing photos and presenting them in an album, only to find that years later they have lost their sparkle. If you’ve ever found yourself admiring antique artworks in a gallery and wondered how they’ve managed to survive, part of the secret is in the framing.

By stretching canvas across a sturdy frame, it can be adjusted in response to environmental conditions like heat and humidity. Not only will your artwork look great, but it will stand the test of time.

So start rethinking the old yellowing photo album. There are new and lasting ways to enjoy the pictures you take, and show family and visitors the artist within.

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Location, location, location. It’s important in most aspects of 21st Century living; from what sort of environment your home is situated in, to where you go out to dinner when you’re feeling peckish. With canvas prints, a similar matter arises involving where to unveil such an artistic presence. However, dissimilarly to other aspects of living, the options are endless. With the potential to bring a magical conception to any wall, canvas prints are a great, cost efficient investment.

Whether it be a traditional family portrait above the mantelpiece over a crackling fire, or a chic canvas photo of your favourite stiletto shoe, printing onto canvas allows a boost to any unadorned or abandoned wall. From anything to snug, sexy, bright, humorous or abstract, the aura of a canvas print can bring a fresh feeling to the air. You can turn a monotonous office into an inspirational gallery, or allow yourself to pause from a hectic lifestyle in the home to reflect on one of your greatest memories, perhaps your marriage, the pride of your children, or a time with friends where you laughed hard.

They can be hung in the bathroom, to allow the presence of your loved ones without the loss of your dignity! Or in a child’s playroom to present a fun, colourful and smiley ambience whilst little fingers get lost in the oh-so creative world of the infant generation. Or even in an office, to bring a funky fresh feeling when you look up from that endless mass of papers, a sweet reminder that it really isn’t that bad.

Wherever you live, be it with your parents, with a partner, or as a bachelor/bachelorette, canvas prints can add a cosy, contemporary and creative essence to any room, whether one for work or play. Canvases allow time for fond reminders of good times in places you have spent them, or places you are now that need the poise of the past. It’s your own little piece of magic, allowing you to place a spell on any location.

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Having a blank canvas in front of you is like having a new life. The possibilities of creation are endless. A splash of colour: blue; red; yellow; purple; the rainbow, all there to inspire a piece that represents you, catching your heart in beautiful vision.

Abstract, landscape, contemporary, the list is endless for your personal canvas, print your own picture, perhaps making the perfect gift, mothers day, Christmas, birthdays, or just a way to express your love to someone- a personal canvas is always the best way.

The options really are limitless, an unparalleled variety of styles and designs are at your disposal, enabling you to find the perfect one, the one that has you smile every time, gives your heart a warm feeling. That’s the canvas for you.

Its easy to place your own photo on a canvas, photos can be old, new original photos, slides or digital files. What better way to share a photo you love on the great quality of a canvas- displaying it to the world?

Transform your memories to an attractive beautiful breathtaking canvas, whether it’s a holiday snap, wedding photo or your child’s first splodges with a paint brush – you can turn your digital photos into stunning canvas art.

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Canvas prints are becoming increasingly popular these days. Modern trends and the increased rate at which people want to show off their memories, experiences, or just their faces and names have made it a common phenomenon. Canvas prints have improved so much because of technology. Gone are the days when the pictures or photos printed on the canvas looked like some amateurish effort and were pixelated. These days, canvas prints can look like digital photographs –something akin to lifting the photos directly onto the canvas plus enhancements.

It is what to put on it that really bothers a lot of people. So what can you put on canvas prints and what are the benefits?

1. Pictures, portraits, paintings etc. These could be any photos you think you would want on the canvas. Childhood pictures, holidays, houses, adverts, web domains, brands, just name it. Most people however, just want to make a statement, show off, enhance or advertise.
2. Canvas prints last longer and portraits can be further enhanced to include other graphical details or illustrations using the latest technology. Canvas prints can be really optimised to further show hidden details, remove flaws such as reflected lights on the pupils, pale skin etc.
3. Finally, you don’t have to be an expert photographer to benefit from the advantages of canvas prints. All you have to do is send them to the printers, designers or illustrators, with specific instructions and you will have a fine, enhanced portrait or photo hanging in your room or anywhere.

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For over a decade, the number of new artists choosing computers and digital media to create their work has been increasing rapidly. Now more than ever, many young creators are finding the internet to truly be the venue in which they are able to construct their virtual exhibits and display their creations to a public much larger than that which would be available to them within the confined walls of a traditional gallery.

However, regardless of the quality of their work, a wall still stands between the digital artist and his audience – the surface of the computer screen. To many, the flattened image that is displayed on their monitors, squeezed between captions and framed by browser windows, does not suffice; a canvas, on the other hand, might.

In recent years, advancements in inkjet printers have made them plausible substitutes for the traditional lithographic process, and printing on canvas – or, in the French fine art neologism, glicée – has become a practical technique with considerable advantages for two-dimensional art.

The process is simple and effective, and consists of several stages that can be accomplished quickly in comparison to other processes. First, the colour profile of the digital image is adjusted to the parameters of the inkjet printer, allowing the artist full control over the final result. Then, the blank canvas is put through the printer and coloured by archival pigment inks, which give the print a clear and vivid look that last for many decades. Finally, the canvas is stretched unto the frame and, as last, the piece is complete.

It is important to remark the several advantages of this process not only for the artist, but for those who wish to have his art in their homes. Here, the word of order is not only quality, but adequacy. Whilst some would like canvases small enough to place on a shelf, others may desire them to cover an entire wall – which, through the use of modern large-format printers, is now possible. And size is not the limit. Canvases come in many shapes, textures and tones, and even aspects of the original design – such as the temperature, contrast or brightness – might be changed to better suit its new surroundings. Printing on canvas therefore means not only facility and flexibility for the digital artist who wants to reach a new audience, but the possibility for the public to acquire not only mere copies, but integral versions of the original work, hence better suiting the needs, wants and tastes of both.

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