Turn Your Photos Into Ready-to-Hang Canvas Art
Yellow Lab Imaging produces handcrafted canvas gallery wraps built to a standard that mass-market labs simply do not meet. Every wrap starts with museum-grade canvas, is printed with archival inks, goes through a multi-day curing and UV coating process, and is then hand-stretched over a solid pine frame made specifically for your order. The result is a piece of wall art — not just a print on canvas.
Because we are online-only, you get professional craftsmanship shipped directly to your door from anywhere in the United States. You do not need to be local. You just need a great image.
The Canvas — Museum Bright Satin
We print on a 350g Museum Bright Satin Canvas — a professional-grade material used in fine art photography, giclée reproduction, portrait photography, and wedding photography. A few things make this canvas worth specifying:
- OBA-free bright white base: The canvas has a bright white point without optical brightening agents. That matters for color accuracy and long-term stability — OBAs can cause color shifts over time as they break down. Our canvas stays true.
- 65% poly / 35% cotton, 2:1 weave: A poly-cotton blend that gives the canvas both the visual texture of traditional fine art canvas and the dimensional stability needed for large-format printing and stretching.
- 19 mil thickness, semi-gloss surface: Substantial enough to hold up under stretching without distortion, with a surface that produces exceptional color depth and a high D-max — meaning rich, deep shadows and vivid highlights.
- Instant dry, water resistant: Compatible with both dye and pigment inks from Epson, Canon, and HP professional printers.
The Process — Why It Takes Two Weeks
Our canvas gallery wraps have a two-week turnaround — and that time is not padding. Here is what actually happens between when you place your order and when it ships:
- Image review: Every file is reviewed by a real person before printing. If there is a resolution issue, a crop concern, or anything worth discussing, we contact you before we print.
- Printing: Your image is printed on our Museum Bright Satin Canvas using professional archival inks for exceptional color accuracy and longevity.
- First cure: After printing, we allow the ink to cure for a full day before touching the canvas. Rushing this step causes problems during coating and stretching.
- First UV coat: We apply a UV gloss protectant spray over the entire printed surface and allow it to cure for a full day.
- Second UV coat: A second coat of UV gloss protectant is applied and allowed to cure for another full day. Two coats ensure complete, even coverage and maximum protection against UV fading and environmental exposure.
- Hand stretching: Once fully cured, the canvas is hand-stretched over a solid pine frame built specifically for your order. The frame is not pre-made in a standard size — it is handmade to fit your print exactly.
- Final inspection and packaging: The finished wrap is inspected, then carefully packaged for shipping.
Most labs skip the curing steps, apply a single coat if any, and use pre-made frames. We do not. The extra time produces a noticeably better result — one that holds up for decades rather than years.
The Frame — Solid Pine, Handmade to Order
Every canvas gallery wrap frame at Yellow Lab Imaging is built by hand from solid pine, sized specifically for your order. We do not pull a pre-made frame off a shelf and hope it fits. The frame is constructed to match your exact print dimensions, which means the canvas tension is consistent across the entire surface — no soft spots, no warping, no corners that do not lie flat.
The result is a wrap that feels substantial when you pick it up and hangs straight on the wall without additional hardware or adjustment.
Edge Wrap — What Happens at the Sides
When your image wraps around the edges of the frame, we typically extend the image content out to the sides so the wrap looks seamless from any viewing angle. If the composition of your image does not allow for that — a tight crop where extending the edges would look odd — we default to black sides, which give the wrap a clean, gallery-style border.
If you have a specific preference or a question about how your image will wrap, the best approach is to contact us before ordering or leave a note in the notes section during checkout. We would rather discuss it beforehand than make a decision you are not happy with.
UV Protection — Built to Last
The two-coat UV gloss protectant process is not just about appearance. UV exposure is one of the primary causes of color fading in displayed prints. By applying two fully cured coats of UV protectant over archival inks on a stable canvas base, we are producing a piece that is genuinely built for long-term display — not just the first few years on a wall.
Displayed indoors, away from direct sunlight, a Yellow Lab Imaging canvas gallery wrap is built to look the same in twenty years as it does the day it arrives.
Who Orders Canvas Gallery Wraps
Our canvas wraps are a natural fit for a wide range of customers and projects:
- Photographers fulfilling client orders for wall art — portraits, weddings, seniors, families
- Fine art and giclée reproduction — artists who need museum-quality output for gallery sales or commissions
- Homeowners who want a specific personal image displayed as a centerpiece rather than generic decor
- Gift givers who want something more meaningful and lasting than a standard print
- Interior designers sourcing custom wall art for residential or commercial spaces
A Better Alternative to Mass-Market Canvas Printing
If you have priced canvas wraps at Shutterfly, Walmart Photo, or similar mass-market labs, you have probably noticed that the prices look attractive. What those prices reflect is a very different process — pre-made frames, single-coat or no UV protection, no curing time, and no individual review of your file. The canvas may look acceptable on arrival. How it looks in five years is a different question.
Yellow Lab Imaging canvas wraps cost more because they are made differently. If you are investing in a piece of wall art, the materials and process behind it matter.
Order Your Canvas Now
