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Should You Print A Triptych On Canvas?


triptych canvas print above sofa

Consider These Alternative Mediums Before Printing Your 3 Panel Wall Art


Triptych art is a very popular style of wall décor & many print services & art stores offer these 3 panel prints.


Triptych art can be ready made, or you can upload your own image to have it printed in a choice of panels sizes.

 

To explore further this style of wall art check out :

What Are Triptych Art Prints?

 

There's many styles of art & photography that look amazing split across 3 panels.


But a photograph or image can often be enhanced by choosing an appropriate print medium that suits the subject matter.


So should you print triptych art to canvas? Canvas is a wonderful choice for printing triptych art, but there's other print mediums that may better suit & enhance your image.

There's really only 5 main print options readily offered by your high street print service.

1. Canvas Prints

2. Photograph Paper & Framed Prints

3. Metal or Aluminium Prints

4. Acrylic Prints

5. Wood Prints


Let's explore each of these print choices & which will work to enhance your triptych image.


1. Canvas

painting on canvas triptych

I love canvas as a print medium as it's affordable & by using high quality materials, a stunning piece of wall art can be produced.


The price point is a consideration, because with a triptych you're getting 3 separate panels printed.


There's 3 types of canvas usually available, which is cotton or linen, polyester or a blend of both.


Rather than bore you with the details, you can learn about these canvas blends & their different properties here: Canvas Photo Prints Explained - A Complete Guide.


Canvas is so popular because most photographs & images are going to look good printed to this medium.


A print of a painting will definitely suit canvas & it's more than likely the best option for this style of triptych.


This is because the texture of canvas compliments the art style.


photograph printed to a canvas triptych

Some landscape photography requires maximum detail & sharpness, but many landscape photographs will look better printed on canvas as well.


Canvas can produce sharp & punchy images, but for an image where you're wanting to achieve a softer or more muted look, canvas is the go.


Even larger panels are fairly lightweight, this translates to easy to hang & arrange on your wall.


Canvas wraps work really unframed, which some triptych images will require, as framing can deter from the overall effect.


But floater frames are available for canvas prints & can be a wonderful & contemporary choice.


As to whether your triptych will look better framed or not I'd recommend reading: Framing Triptych Prints, You Can But Should You?


2. Photographic Paper & Framed Prints

framed triptych photograph of city lights above bed

There's a wide variety of photographic paper available, but print services will generally offer variations of gloss, semi-gloss & satin finish or matte.


To explore all the photographic paper options, I've put together a handy guide: A Guide To Photographic Print Mediums & Materials


Quality photographic paper is the best option for an image that requires a high level of sharpness & detail.


But like canvas, there's linen/cotton & archival papers which produce a softer & textured look.


These could be used to great effect for a print of a painting, or again, a landscape or coastal image.


Triptych prints can also be produced from portraiture & these softer papers can be more flattering.

 

Related Article:

Give Your Family Photos A New Lease On Life With Triptych Prints

 

Of course, framed photographs can work well for triptychs & there's a wide choice of framing options available.


framed & matted triptych graphic art prints

Triptychs that consist of 3 individual images instead of a single image split over 3 panels, can often look fabulous not only framed, but matted too.


Triptych art can also look amazing when printed to a large size, but a large or oversized triptych photographic print could start to get expensive, especially when you throw in the framing option as well.


Fancy Some FREE Triptych Printable Wall Art?

free triptych printable wall art

3. Metal Prints

photograph of a sunset on vertical triptych metal print

Sometimes referred to as aluminium prints, they offer a world of depth & vibrancy.


To learn about the different ways they are made & why they produce such stunning images, I'd recommend reading: A Comprehensive Guide To Metal Photo Prints


If your triptych image is one that you really want to create impact with & have a sense of depth & colour, metal prints are the way to go.


Sunset beach images look amazing printed to this medium as do other landscape photographs, but a print of a painting is going to look somewhat odd I feel.


Metal prints can be framed, but they have such a modern & contemporary look that often they're best left unframed.


Being made of aluminium means large size unframed triptychs will still be easy to hang.


The price of these prints is slowly going down, but they can be a more expensive option than an unframed canvas or photograph.


4. Acrylic Prints

acrylic triptych print above blue sofa

Like metal prints, acrylic also produces amazing depth & colour.


They're a style of print that can also be produced using various methods which you can learn about here: All You Need To Know - A Complete Guide To Acrylic Prints