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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