Service for turning photos to oil portraits?

[Barry T]

I don't know any specific print houses in Vancouver but they do exist. Just have to ask around I guess. Make sure you ask for giclee prints on canvas (pronounced jee clay). That means the print will be particulary good and hopefully look more like the "oil painting" idea you seek instead of a banner or vinyl sign.

A good idea too is to ask about their ink brand. Some printers use lower quality (more economical) inks which haven't been tested so they may not be as fade resistant as you would like.

I live in Victoria BC so Vancouver is very close.

[Doug]

I don't know any specific print houses in Vancouver but they do exist. Just have to ask around I guess. Make sure you ask for giclee prints on canvas (pronounced jee clay). That means the print will be particulary good and hopefully look more like the "oil painting" idea you seek instead of a banner or vinyl sign.

A good idea too is to ask about their ink brand. Some printers use lower quality (more economical) inks which haven't been tested so they may not be as fade resistant as you would like.

I live in Victoria BC so Vancouver is very close.

Thanks, Barry. I had never heard anyone use the word giclee, and always imagined it to be pronounced 'guy-clee'. Are some of the high end inkjets on canvas just as good? (Of course, the idea of buying a $6000 inkjet is just a dream at this point! :-) Something like an HP PhotoSmart Pro B9180 seems minimum quality:

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/ca/en...6-1143049.html

Price is $800, but it only does 13x19".

How do HP Vivera pigment inks rate? See the link above for a description.
They have a fade resistant life of 200 years before fading, I believe.

As for Victoria, I'd gladly send stuff over to the Island rather than back east or to England. Corel Painter Official Magazine had an article on fine art print bureaus, but most were a lot farther away than Victoria!

[Barry T]

Hey Doug,

Didn't want to get too wordy in my last post. There is a company called the Wilhelm Institute http://www.wilhelm-research.com/ that does indipendant testing on printer inks etc and come up with more believable data than the ink manufactures suggest. Sometime 150yr inks rate more like 50.

In the past Epson inks were not all that great and many people (like me) bought much better 3rd party "pigment" inks, which are rated for 100yrs or more.

The new 9800 which I now own uses Epsons Ultra chrome K3 ink which Wilhelm has rated very well.

If you are looking for a good small format giclee printer I would look at one of the newer Epsons that use their new K3 inks. For my 2 Epson 1280's, I have installed a cheap continuous ink feed system from ebay and have just started to use a very good quality ink from MIS Associates (inksupply.com)
I used to buy all of my pigment supplies from Mediastreet.com but their products and support have gone way, way down hill.

Like to see what you are wanting to print... Barry

[Doug]

Hey Doug,

Didn't want to get too wordy in my last post. There is a company called the Wilhelm Institute http://www.wilhelm-research.com/ that does indipendant testing on printer inks etc and come up with more believable data than the ink manufactures suggest. Sometime 150yr inks rate more like 50.

I usually take quoted performance figures with a grain of salt anyway. Damn salesmen!

Regardless of the quoted ink life, are there not spray fixatives to seal the ink and peserve it even longer?

Like to see what you are wanting to print... Barry

This is for future reference. I like to keep well informed for the future. ;-)

Cheers

[Artthou]

Do you know of any print shops that do this kind of work around Vancouver?
Thanks.

Barry,

I output painted portraits done on Painter and do my own Giclee printing using the Epson 9800. I live just outside Vancouver (Surrey) and am not aware of any "good" printer although there must be one out there.
I would be happy to look at what your needs are and see if I could help.

[RTK]

Never heard of "printing" OIL on canvas? If anyone has a link - I would love to see it? Can't see how that would work...

However, printing on "canvas like material" (It's not like you are feeding Belgium linen though the printer, or is it? ) can be accomplished on many printers.

Barry mentioned the Epson 9800 - that is amazing stuff - and fast! Tad Bridenthal (http://www.xaraxone.com/FeaturedArt/tb/index.htm) of this forum printed a few things for me on his 9800, and I have to say that it looked frightenly good. Amazing stuff... A printer locally uses the 9800 also ~30$ dollars per 'almost' a square foot (that was a few years ago - on watercolour paper).

A few months after seeing Tad's prints, I bought the (baby) Epson 2000 AND... It looked equally good (with the same inks) - only max 13 in. by 19 in.... However, if you are printing a lot - the speed at which you are printing DOES come in to play. After a while it gets mind-numbingly slow... If my Epson 2000 would die tomorrow, I would buy the Epson 3800.

The Epson 2000 is probably the "best buy" (any purchase - any category!) I have ever made. It's amazing - and the 3800 is again even better, I'm sure.

Oh! Having a friend in the office supply business doesn't hurt either... I get my ink and paper delivered to the door - almost at cost!

Off topic: Check out Barry's artwork/site - it's a treat! http://www.barrytate.com/

Risto

[Barry T]

Risto, Thanks for the acolades on my site! All of that work was real paint & brushes, nothing from Corel painter as yet...
Starting to get the hang of it though so maybe soon.

Doug, There is a spray called Art Shield. It is about $25 for a common sized spray can so it is expensive. According to those Welheim folks I mentioned earlier, they feel it protects and extends the light fast rating somewhat.

[Doug]

Doug, There is a spray called Art Shield. It is about $25 for a common sized spray can so it is expensive. According to those Welheim folks I mentioned earlier, they feel it protects and extends the light fast rating somewhat.

Thanks, Barry. Would Krylon® Workable Fixatif be another choice?
I was asking because Michael's carries it and it's only a mile from here.

Thanks.

[Barry T]

Sorry 'bout slow response- been away from computer for a bit

Workable fixative doesn't have a hard enough surface finish.

I have had excellent results with Varathane water based "Diamond Coat" satin finish. It can be had in a spray can $8 ish and is available as an indoor or exterior type. Does not yellow or crack over time etc.

I found the indoor type is the best.

Barry

[Doug]

Sorry 'bout slow response- been away from computer for a bit

Workable fixative doesn't have a hard enough surface finish.

I have had excellent results with Varathane water based "Diamond Coat" satin finish. It can be had in a spray can $8 ish and is available as an indoor or exterior type. Does not yellow or crack over time etc.

I found the indoor type is the best.

Barry

Thanks, Barry! :-)