Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "joshhackney" 
<joshhackney@...> wrote:
> 
> I'm planning to offer gallery wraps this year.  How long have you 
been doing this?  Have 
> you seen any sagging of the canvas over time?  Also, I'm curious to 
know why you are 
> coating before stretching.  Most posts I have seen suggest 
stretching first and then 
> coating.  
> 


Many coat before stretching to keep the canvas from cracking. I found 
that higher quality stretcher bars with a rounded "lip" prevent the 
cracking. If you buy good stretcher bars, and assemble them properly, 
you can drive wedges into the corners to expand the frame if the 
material starts to stretch. This is less of a problem with the 
cotton/poly blend material. If this happens with 100% cotton, you can 
often spray the back with water, and it will tighten up as it dries.

The stretcher bars from "BEST" seem to be very good.