Easywrappe – Create Your Own Gallery Wraps in Minutes

All about EasyWrappe – what it is, the different ways to use it, what size bars to get, FAQs, and more!

EasyWrappe is an easy to use gallery wrap system that enables photographers, artists, and printing companies to create a professional gallery wrap in minutes.

If you own a printer and are intimidated by the process of printing on canvas, stretching, etc. (which many are) or don’t see the reason to invest in or try canvas printing, your worries are over.

For example, if you’re a wedding photographer who also prints your own work, you can now offer canvas gallery wraps and have full control over the entire process.

You don’t have to worry about outsourcing the stretching process and paying the high costs of doing so. Therefore, you can offer these prints at a competitive price to your customers.

And, by offering a product with high perceived value like a canvas gallery wrap, every sale you make is adding additional revenue to your business. This is revenue that never existed.

If you’re a photographer or artist who does your own stretching the traditional way, you probably have better things to do with your time – things that can help your business grow.

Since EasyWrappe is so simple, you can empower someone else (husband, wife, son, friend..) to do your wraps for you, so that you can focus on the more important aspects of your business.

You can also create gallery wraps anytime – anywhere – with or without a printer (assuming you already made the prints) – ON DEMAND.

Imagine selling canvas prints at trade shows, street fairs, etc. and wrapping them on the spot.

Imagine how much space you will save in your booth, in your car (or traveling), or in shipping – by not having these prints pre-wrapped.

Imagine shooting an event and offering gallery wrapped canvas prints of those same photographs ready to pick up in 20 minutes.

There’s also just the simple luxury of being able to run a print on your Epson or Canon and gallery wrap it on the spot, and its ready to ship or deliver to your customer.

All this without ever having to leave your home or studio. It’s instant gratification at its best.

You don’t have to drive the prints to the framer, you don’t have to wait for the stretching to get done.

You are 100% fully empowered, and that’s pretty cool.

We could go on and on, but you get the point. EasyWrappe. The name says it all.

Make Your EasyWrappe Look Like A Traditionally Wrapped Canvas

Did you know there is more than one way to utilize this system?

Our standard method of using the EasyWrappe bars includes trimming the excess canvas to the edge of each bar. This method requires nothing more than an exacto knife or blade, and can be completed quickly.

The stretcher bars themselves provide a straight edge in which to cut along, so you get a clean edge every time.

But did you know that you can make your EasyWrappe look like a traditionally wrapped canvas? Instead of trimming off the excess canvas, staple it!

Using standard 3/8″/10mm staples (we started with 24 gauge chisel point staples), you can achieve a traditional look to your EasyWrappe system.

If you enjoy the ease of use with the EasyWrappe system, but prefer the look of a traditional gallery wrap, now you can have the best of both worlds.

Our friends over at Beaux Arts Photography were kind enough to send over some photos of their finished product with staples.

Below you will find a video outlining the process of using staples for both the Standard (1.25″) and Pro (1.75″) systems.

The Standard bars are about 3/8″ in depth, while the Pro bars are closer to 7/8″. This depth represents the area of the bars in which staples will be applied.

Due to this variation, each video will have a separate set of instructions to complete properly.

While this is our recommended method for stapling canvas with EasyWrappe, you can certainly modify it to best suit your requirements.

EasyWrappe Standard 1.25″ – Staple Method 

EasyWrappe Pro 1.75″ – Staple Method

EasyWrappe Q&A

Here are the answers to some of the most common questions that we get.

What size bars should I get?

When stretching your prints, make sure you leave some room on the borders so that your print doesn’t get cut off.

Here are some sizing examples you should follow:

1.25″ EasyWrappe bars – 1.5″ border minimum (2″ recommended)
12″x16″ print size (image+border)
10″x14″ image size
10″x14″ bar size

1.75″ EasyWrappe Pro bars – 2″ border minimum (3″ recommended)
30″x32″ print size (image+border)
29″x31″ image size
29″x31″ bar size

1.5″ Stretcher Bars – 4″ border
30″x36″ print size (image+border)
26″x32″ image size
26″x32″ bar size

I have a 16″x20″ image. How much extra canvas do I need to add to create a gallery wrap?

A: Since EasyWrappe is designed to create a gallery wrap, additional canvas is necessary.

What this means is if you have a 16” x 20” photo that you want to wrap, you’ll actually need 3”- 4” of additional canvas in order to keep the 16” x 20” photo on the front of the wrap.

Add 1 ½” on all 4 sides (3” total) for EasyWrappe Standard (1.25”), and add 2” on all 4 sides (4” total) for EasyWrappe Pro. The additional ¼” on each side is for bleed that will be trimmed off.

The above example would be printed at 19” x 23” for the Standard, and 20” x 24” for the Pro.

There are various methods for adding additional canvas, like adding a black/colored border, or expanding the size of your image (although this method will mean that part of your photo will only be visible on the sides of the gallery wrap.

The most common method is creating a mirrored edge in your file. This can be done in Photoshop, but there are also various types of software that will create the mirrored edges for you.

To see the mirrored edge method in Photoshop, please take a look at the tutorial video:

 

If you want to wrap additional canvas and staple it to the back of the stretcher bars the traditional way, simply add an additional ½” to the dimensions listed above.

My printer is 44″ wide. What is the largest size EasyWrappe I can safely produce?

A: Using the above formula, a 44” printer can produce a gallery wrap as wide as 40” for the PRO and 41” for Standard.

Keep in mind that this can only be accomplished if you utilize the Borderless Printing feature on your printer. This option can be found on almost all Epson, Canon and HP printers.

If you are using white (bare) edges, you can simply center your images on the roll you are using and you will not need to activate borderless printing.

If you don’t have a borderless printing option on your printer (or borderless printing is not allowed on the size you are trying to achieve), then subtract an additional inch from the above sizes.

In other words: 39” for EW Pro and 40” for EW Standard. When in doubt, it is always better to print a little smaller to insure that you have enough canvas for the gallery wrap.

At what point do I need to start using the center braces?

A: Center braces are for EW Pro only. A 20” x 30” gallery wrap and larger will benefit from using center braces as this provides additional stability throughout the canvas wrap.

You’ll notice on the EasyWrappe Pro product page center braces begin at 20”.

If you have anything smaller than 20” x 30” doesn’t need a center brace because the corner wedges are close enough to keep even tension throughout the wrap.

If you are creating a panoramic gallery wrap, it is important to add multiple center braces in order to have even tension throughout. One example would be a 48” x 120” print (4’x10’).

Using (3) 48” braces would enable you to have even tension every 2 feet.

What are the EasyWrappe Pro Extenders and when/how would I use them?

A: The EW Extenders enable you to create a gallery wrap at custom sizes (in between sizes and larger than 60”).

For example, if you wanted to create a 38” print, you can get 20” bars and cut off an inch from each bar. Keep in mind that saw blades remove about ¼” so you will need to position the blade over the bars accordingly.

The bars are cut at a 90 degree angle, and each bar should have 1 finished edge (the 45 degree cut).

Then, the Extender fits right into the groove on the inside of the bars. The same rule applies for sizes larger than 60”.

How do I insure the tightest possible wrap when stretching the canvas?

A: Performing all the steps in the video is essential for creating a gallery wrap with our EasyWrappe system. We do understand that sometimes things are not perfect and additional “tricks” are needed to assist in the final result.

As an added tip to what you see in the video, let the archival glue dry PRIOR to adding in the corner wedges and braces. This means that you would apply the glue normally, stretch the canvas and insert the holding pins.

At that point, let the glue dry for about 15-20 minutes as this will form the permanent bond.

After this, apply a small amount of glue to the corner wedges on the angled sides (these are the sides that slide into the groove of the bars on the inside).

Hammer these in using a rubber mallet or something similar and the glue will enable the wedges to dry and bond at the tightest point. The same rule can apply to the center braces.

This is only applicable to the EW Pro bars as the EW Standard does not have the same style grooves to hammer in the corner wedges.

You can also lightly spray to back of the canvas with water (from a spray bottle) and this helps the canvas become tighter (when already stretched onto a frame).

These tips will help you get a perfect gallery wrap each and every time.

If you have a question about EasyWrappe that is not covered in the article above, please comment with your questions below.