Most people approach home decor with the zeal of an interior designer – until they get to the walls. Much as they would love to hang original canvases and family oil portraits, budgetary restraints dictate otherwise. The result is a muddle of glossy photographs and store-bought prints, all displayed in mismatched frames.

But it is possible to hang original fine art in your living room. Thanks to canvas printers like the Epson 9800, any image that can be saved in digital format can be recreated as a magnificent work of art. It is the affordable way to go from “economy cheap” to “designer chic”.

Your artwork starts life as a digital file, either downloaded direct from a camera, or scanned in from a conventional photograph. But canvas printing is far more than just copying a photograph onto stretched cloth. Once in digital format, programs such as Photoshop allow for no end of customisation of the original. If you love the digital art you see in online galleries, you don’t have to pay for it – Photoshop allows you to create your own. If you want, your face can be almost unrecognisable by the time it is committed to print.

Yearn for an Old Master, but unable to afford Vermeer? You can still have that aristocratic portrait you dreamed of. Oil paint effects allow you to add texture using digital “brush strokes”. The image can be darkened, shadowed and softened. You can even create a classical background in place of a modern one. Printed onto artists’ canvas, and using the latest Epson Ultrachrome K3 inks, anyone’s face can become an oil painting!

For a more modern look, you can opt to have the design tinted to match your decor. Or why not choose sepia for a “Yesteryear” effect? For the ultimate in 1950’s retro chic, monochrome is hard to beat. The Ultrachrome K3 cartridge has three shades of black for this very purpose!

Digital special effects allow for all sorts of surprises on a child’s bedroom wall. Do you have a Doctor Who loving son? Then why not place him on an alien landscape? Or turn him into an alien himself. Photo manipulation allows for all sorts of surreal effects.

As the canvas is printed from a digital file, the original image doesn’t even have to be a photograph. Any original artwork – from a child’s first portrait of their mum to an art graduate’s final exam piece, can be uploaded. Size is no problem either, as professional scanners and the Epson 9600 printer will take care of any object up to 44” wide, with no loss of colour density.

Owning fine art is no longer a matter of hanging a tired copy of Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” on the wall. Thanks to canvas printing, any home can have a gallery of originals.

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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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Have you ever looked through your photographs and thought “that’s a lovely photo, I’ll frame that” only to be disappointed by the result?

When you put it behind glass, you notice that the colours are muted; light doesn’t dance across like it did when you held it in your hand and the feeling is lost? You put off hanging it on the wall, because you know that, in reality, you know it could look better.

By having the photograph printed onto canvas, you can bring the image alive. During the printing process, the image is transferred to a canvas backing which creates texture and grain, helping to catch the light. This, in turn, creates a depth and intensity unachievable from a printed image in the traditional paper format. The process used to create the canvas print uses the highest resolutions to ensure that the sharpness of the image remains at an optimum, while the huge range of colours which can be used maintains the real tones adding to the depth and clarity of the image.

The process is quick and effective and before you know it, others will be complimenting you on you artist prowess. You will have a wall full of beautiful images, created by you, of your memories, shown in all their glory and colour.

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From Van Gogh to Monet, many of the greatest works of art ever to grace the halls of the great museums, or the walls of the fabulously wealthy, have been produced on canvas. In terms of doing this oneself, there is just one slight drawback – it takes a great deal of talent, training and time to paint on canvas with oils, and for most of us the results are not pretty.

Technology has stepped up to the rescue, with new methods allowing the transfer of pictures taken on your camera to canvas, all printed in high quality colour, effortlessly achieving the look that only a canvas base can provide without any of the effort or mess. And, in common with the classic canvas works of art produced by the old masters, your photographs too can become treasured family heirlooms, or just something fun to put on your wall.

In fact, almost any photograph printed on canvas will result in a work of art, ready to hang on the wall, and a talking point for visitors to your house. The look of canvas, its texture and its association with expensive and exclusive artworks gives your prints an instant appeal, and the fact that you can tell a story about where you took the picture and how you created the print adds a further talking point.

Once you start creating your own prints, if you have a computer with software for image manipulation, you can really become creative with your photographs, creating prints that are anything from wacky avante garde images to classic black and white stills. You might even be able to convince your friends that your print is a real Salvador Dali – although unless you have the bank balance to substantiate this claim they may remain somewhat sceptical.

Moving away from printing your own photographs for display, this technique also represents the best way of printing the work of the great artists and appreciating it in a form as close to the original as you can get without breaking the bank or stealing an original – those sunflowers will look a lot better on a textured canvas base than on a flat piece of cardboard or paper which fades with age. However you look at it, printing on canvas is a versatile and interesting way to personalise the walls of your home.

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The silver screen has produced many memorable and iconic images during its century of film production; ask a friend and they will be sure to tell you of their particular favourite – Monroe with her billowing, white skirt, Hepburn eating a bagel outside Tiffany’s, Brando brooding, mean and magnificent in a tight T shirt. Forever young and heavenly in a celluloid still, they would also make very striking subjects in the medium of canvas.

In colour or black and white, a photo of a revered idol in a favourite movie could be the very statement piece that stamped your own particular personality on a room; it would certainly be a talking point for dinner party guests. Indeed, why restrict the medium to either black and white or colour? Effects such as sepia, negative and colour splash are options to also consider.

Of course, one must always ensure that copyright rules are adhered to, but if there are problems with obtaining permission to use an image, there is always the option of having a favourite picture of yourself transformed into canvas. With the benefits of red eye removal and blending of imperfections, the finished product could be a stunning piece of art that paints a thousand words – just as those iconic images of the stars do.

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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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Do you have a corner or room that looks dark even with ample natural lighting? Choosing a bright picture can minimise these effects without taking away from the overall feel of the room. Consider the content and purpose of the room before selecting a picture. Vibrant colours and playful holiday photos may work well in a living room, but often more sombre subject matter is appropriate for an office. Landscapes and close ups may provide more relevant content in these serious places. If you are looking to design a room with a thematic element, take into account other design elements before selection.

Choosing a size for your picture is also relevant. Several small pictures can be placed strategically to break up a smaller dark space, while one large picture can become a main focal point for the entire room. Creating a test design with sheets of white paper before proceeding with your choice may be beneficial in circumstances where you are unsure about sizing.

Family input in this project is also essential, because different family members may offer more insight into the various rooms. Asking which areas seem to be too dark and what subjects they prefer for those areas is a great start to optimising natural light in your home.

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Do you display your family photos proudly or are they tucked away in various albums, only to see the light of day at Christmas and birthdays? Studio family portraiture has always been a popular way to gather the generations and preserve them for posterity however it can be an expensive, not to mention slightly awkward experience, trying to capture your natural intimacy in front of a complete stranger.

The recent collapse of some of the leading studio photography chains and the considerable price reductions in cameras and photo printing in general would appear to signal the latest development in the amateur digital photography revolution.

Display and print mediums are so diverse nowadays that there’s really no limit to the level of originality the home portrait photographer can achieve, and perhaps one of the best examples of this is the printing of photos to canvas. This medium offers a wide range of sizes and creative effects that allow the photographer to discover a completely unique style and signature all of their own, whilst not breaking the bank. With the option to print in negative, sepia tone, add striking splashes of colour or even make Pop Art of the family, canvas prints are rapidly turning amateur photography into an art form and certainly providing an innovative way in which to exhibit the humble family photograph.

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Have you ever loved a photograph so much that you felt that it deserved to be preserved for a hundred years? If you desire to immortalize your little angel’s first smile or her first attempts to walk, that glorious sunset you watched in the arms of your first love, those safari snaps, or the memorable photographs of your class reunion, printing photos to canvas is what you must seriously consider. Paper prints are great, but rest assured that you will be giving yourself a unique treat if you print your photos to canvas.

If you are still wondering why you should print your favorite photos to canvas, consider the following benefits.

• By printing photos to canvas, you are adding a lot of class and creativity to them and transforming them into real eye catchers
• Mounting canvas prints on walls is the most creative way of showing off your best photos to a horde of admiring friends and relatives
• Canvas has an excellent texture that adds depth to your otherwise ordinary photographs
• You can choose the size and make them as large or as small as you wish
• You can frame your canvas prints in myriad attractive ways

Photographers love canvas, and so will you. If you are a photographer, you can try bringing your photos to life on your own, but if you don’t know anything about photography, you can take professional help.

Print your photos to canvas and decorate your home with them. This will ensure that your beautiful pictures and sweet memories will smile down at you from the walls of your house as long as you live.

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Photography is a year-round activity but now, with spring at last approaching and the Easter holidays not far off, it’s a great time to get some really wonderful photos. More daylight, more warmth means more colour. New life, new growth means a new energy. It’s a brilliant opportunity for the enthusiastic photographer, whether amateur or professional.

After the stark monochrome scenery of winter, spring bursts out with a glorious medley of sunshine, showers and rainbows, silver morning frosts and fresh green grass, catkins and pussy-willow, and bright daffodils and tulips. Photographers keen on landscapes, plants and garden shots are suddenly spoilt for choice.

Those interested in animals and wildlife also have a wealth of subject-matter as birds start nest-building, hedgehogs and squirrels come out of hibernation, and the fields and city farms fill with the new crop of lambs, calves and foals and chicks. A little patience can provide some truly amazing pictures here.

And then, of course, there are the children, dressed in brighter clothes, playing outdoor games, hunting Easter eggs in the garden, or sitting on the floor surrounded by tinfoil and half-eaten chocolate eggs. Some great opportunities are here for stunning photos, be they fun snaps or posed scenes for the family album.

Even an untrained amateur can take some really beautiful photos at this time of year. Many of them will be printed out and preserved as mementos. Some of these spring shots, though, will deserve special treatment – enlargement, framing, or maybe printing on canvas to preserve them as a permanent showpiece. Indeed, transferring photos to canvas in this way can turn that fleeting moment of spring into an impressive artwork or treasured family portrait that lasts for ever.

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