Canvas Coating

A guide to coating your canvas prints

Six years ago I made a YouTube video demonstrating the process of coating canvas with a varnish. Viewers had questions about the details of the process and since the video has now aged a bit, I thought this would be a good time to update my Substack pro subscribers and give you some additional tips for varnishing canvas.

The Reasons for Varnishing

Varnishing helps protect the print from fingerprints, water, soil and can mitigate the effects of UV rays. It also helps with the stretching process, minimizing cracks when wrapping around the frame. Varnishing also adds a bit of depth to the print without changing color.

The Canvas Varnish Scene

In the original video, I demonstrated Glossy, Satin and Matte varnish treatments using a Printshield product, which I felt highly about... and still do. However, there are many canvas varnishes on the market today.