Recently I was contacted by the folks over at Circle Graphics (www.cgproprints.com) about their line of high-quality, low-cost Canvas Gallery Wraps to see if I would take a look and see what I thought. I’m no stranger to these products, I’ve had an Mpix Canvas Gallery Wrap hanging in my kitchen for a couple of years now, so I have something to compare it to.
The first thing that got me was the price. A 16×24 from Mpix will go for about $100 while the same size print from CGProPrints.com is only $26.99! That’s quite a difference! Granted, Mpix is selling directly to customers, while Circle Graphics is targeting photographers who would then be selling the prints to their clients. The lower cost helps give the photographer some room to mark it up and make a profit. Either way, it’s a great price.
The next thing I noticed was the quality of the print. After all, a print isn’t anything if the quality isn’t there. And I have to say that this canvas wrap looks good. It’s hard to do a side-by-side comparison, quality-wise, because the sample they sent isn’t the same image as the one I have from Mpix, but the print maintains its sharpness and depth of color and contrast on the canvas.
I’m married to a painter who has stretched her own canvases and so I am used to the look and feel and properties of canvases – and the Mpix version I have follows this more traditional style. With normal canvases, they are stretched across a rigid frame with no backing. The canvas itself remains flexible in the middle of the frame. With the Circle Graphics print, I noticed right away that it has a solid construction allowing it to remain flat throughout the life of the canvas, protecting it from deforming or loosening. Definitely a nice feature to help ensure the longevity of the print. And it provides this additional stability while remaining exceptionally lightweight, a huge plus. Along with the rigid structure, the canvas has a finished back with built in hardware, so it is ready to hang right out of the box.
The corners are flush so there is no bulge to keep it looking clean and professional. And pigment-based inks, coupled with a clear acrylic coating keep the colors looking bright while providing protection.
All-in-all, I think these canvas gallery wraps from Circle Graphics offer a terrific value for the price and would be a great resource for any studio out there looking to offer a quality print option to their customers and still have some room to make a little off of the sale.
After seeing a sample, I can’t wait to place my order.
*Disclaimer: While all of my reviews are honest and represent my personal opinions, I am being compensated by the vendor to write the review.
