Canvas listings are full of terms: gallery wrapped, museum wrapped, stretched, 1.25-inch bars, mirrored edges. They sound like marketing, and they describe real differences in how a canvas is built and how it looks on the wall. This post explains them.
What a stretched canvas is
A canvas print begins as a flat sheet of printed fabric. To become something you can hang, it is pulled tight over a rectangular wooden frame and fixed to it. The wooden frame is called a stretcher, and its four sides are stretcher bars. You don't see them. They are behind the picture.
This is how painters' canvases have been made for five hundred years. The print is made in the same way.
What gallery wrap means
On a gallery-wrapped canvas, the fabric is pulled right round the sides of the stretcher bars and fixed at the back, out of sight. The sides of the canvas are covered in fabric, clean and finished, with no staples or tacks showing.
The older method, sometimes called a standard or studio wrap, fixes the canvas with staples along the sides. Those have to be hidden by a frame.
The point of a gallery wrap is that the canvas needs no frame. It is complete as it is. The name comes from the way modern galleries show paintings: unframed, with the edges visible, on a plain wall.
What goes on the sides
If the canvas wraps round the edge, something has to be printed on the part that wraps. There are four common choices.
- Image wrap. The picture itself continues round the sides. It looks seamless. The cost is that the outer inch or more of the image is on the side and not on the front, so anything near the edge of the design is lost from view.
- Mirrored edges. The outer strip of the picture is copied and flipped to cover the sides. The whole image stays on the front, and the sides carry on its colours. Up close, the mirroring can look odd if there is a face or lettering at the edge.
- Solid colour edges. The sides are printed in one colour, usually black or white, or a colour taken from the picture. Crisp and simple.
- Blurred or stretched edges. The edge pixels are smeared round the side.
None is right or wrong. Image wrap suits abstracts and landscapes with nothing important at the edges. Mirrored and solid edges suit pictures with a subject close to the border. When you buy, look at the product photos that show the canvas from an angle. They show how the sides are finished.
Depth
The depth of a canvas is the thickness of the stretcher bars, which is how far it stands out from the wall.
- About 0.75 inch. A slim profile. Lighter and cheaper. It can look thin unframed, and it suits framing.
- About 1.25 inches. A medium profile. Substantial enough to hang unframed, and still light. Our canvases are this depth.
- About 1.5 inches and more. A deep profile. A bold, sculptural look, with more weight.
A deeper canvas casts a stronger shadow on the wall, which gives it presence. It is also stiffer, which matters on large sizes.
Museum wrap and other terms
- Museum wrap usually means a gallery wrap with plain sides, white or a solid colour, so that the whole image sits on the front. Sellers use the term loosely.
- Stretched canvas means any canvas mounted on stretcher bars.
- Rolled canvas is the print alone, with no frame. It has to be stretched or framed by someone before it can hang.
- Canvas board or panel is canvas glued to a flat board. Thin, and meant for framing.
- Floating frame is a frame made for gallery-wrapped canvas. See below.
What to look for in a wrapped canvas
- Tension. The fabric should be tight and flat, like a drum, with no sag or ripples.
- Corners. Folded neatly and flat, the same on all four.
- The frame. Solid wood that won't warp. Pine is the usual choice. Large sizes should have a cross brace.
- The back. Staples in a tidy line on the back only.
- Hanging hardware. Fitted, or included.
- Bumpers. Small pads at the back corners that keep the canvas level and protect the wall.
Our canvases are stretched over a 1.25-inch pine frame and come with rubber bumpers and hardware, ready to hang. See ready to hang explained and what to check before buying canvas art online.
Why hang a canvas without a frame?
- It looks modern. Clean edges, nothing between the picture and the wall.
- It is lighter and easier to hang. See hanging a large canvas.
- It costs less than a canvas with a frame.
- There is no glass, so no reflections.
- The picture runs to the edge, which suits bold, full-colour artwork.
When to add a frame
A gallery-wrapped canvas can be framed if you want a more finished or traditional look. The frame made for the purpose is a floating frame, or floater. The canvas sits inside it with a small gap all round, so that it seems to float. The edges of the canvas stay visible, and nothing covers the front.
- A black floater sharpens a dark or neon piece.
- A natural wood floater warms a cool one.
- A white floater suits pale rooms.
A floating frame has to match the depth of the canvas. For ours, look for one made for 1.25-inch canvas, in the size of your piece. Any framer can fit one.
Canvas or framed print?
They do different jobs. A wrapped canvas is soft-surfaced, frameless and without reflections. A framed poster is crisp, flat and sits behind a cover. See canvas vs poster vs framed poster and matte vs glossy prints.
Looking after the edges
- Carry a canvas by the frame at the sides. Don't press on the front or the back of the fabric.
- The corners take the knocks. Protect them when you move it.
- Dust the top edge, where dust settles, with a soft dry cloth.
- If the fabric slackens a little in damp weather, it usually tightens again when the air dries. Keep it away from damp and from heat.
See canvas care: cleaning, sunlight and humidity.
Common questions
Does the wrap cut off part of the picture? It depends on the edge style. With image wrap, the outer strip is on the sides. With mirrored or solid edges, the whole picture is on the front. Check the product photos.
Can I hang it straight out of the box? Yes, if it comes with hardware. That is the point of a gallery wrap.
Is a deeper canvas better? It is bolder and stiffer. It isn't better printed. Choose by the look you want.
Will the sides show? From the front, hardly at all. From the side, as you walk past, yes. That is why a clean edge matters.
The short version
Gallery wrap means the canvas is stretched round its wooden frame and fixed at the back, so that the sides are finished and no outer frame is needed. Look at the depth, the corners, the tension and the way the edges are printed. Add a floating frame if you want one.
For sizes, see the canvas size guide. Browse the canvas art collection.