Shutter Mike Photography

There are so many canvas print companies out there that at times it can seem overwhelming when trying to pick one to trust with your photographs.   I have reviewed several other canvas printing companies in the past including Easy Canvas Prints, Arts Cow canvas prints, Canvas on Demand and ZaZa Prints.  With only some exceptions I have been satisfied with the overall experience and quality of all of them.  So in my continued quest for canvas prints I am adding another company to the list, Juno Prints.

One thing you will notice about Juno Prints right away upon visiting their website is the lack of clutter and straight forwardness of the site.  You aren’t going to find 100s of products to select from or complicated pricing structures.  It is just canvas prints and there are 15 sizes to select from.  So if it is canvas you are looking for their approach can save you some confusion and the head ache experienced on other photo printing sites.

I ordered a 16″ x 24″ image wrap canvas print which sells for $55 + $5 shipping.

• Shipping Time: I placed my order on a Thursday,  and I received it on the following Thursday.  So that was only eight days from start to finish.  That was the shortest shipping time of all the canvas printers I have so far reviewed.  Your shipping time may vary of course  due to how far you are from their printing facility, so you’ll want to factor that in.  The only “negative” I have is that they never sent an email notification that my order had shipped, it just showed up one day.  It is not a deal breaker, but a little rare in this day-and-age of e-commerce.  I’m used to getting progress updates.
• Packaging:  This being my 5th canvas print order from 5 different companies I have seen a range of methods for packaging canvas prints for shipping.   Some pack it to survive a trip around the world and back with bubble wrap, extra corrugated and straps to make sure it doesn’t move an inch in transit.   Juno Prints used a bit more of an economy packaging than some of the other companies.  The canvas was in a plastic bag and then in what looks like a custom made corrugated box that has edge bumpers of sorts on the two ends to protect it.  My print held up in shipping with no damage even through the corner of the box was crushed.  In spite of the fact that their packaging is not as “beefy” as some other printers it did the trick and the canvas arrived unscathed.
• Image Quality:   I had the portrait above printed for this canvas.  I felt there were a few minor, but noticeable, differences between the image as I see it on the screen and the final canvas print.  Nothing earth shattering or even that would prevent me from ordering again from Juno Prints, but worth mentioning nevertheless.  First, the image I sent had a depth of field such that the background from the child’s feet to the trees in the distance became progressively blurred.  In the final canvas that seems to be more pronounced and the whole image, especially the “feet to the trees” area, is a fair amount more blurred than in the original image.  It is a “softer” look on canvas than on screen and photo paper.  Second, the over all image is a shade darker than the original.  For this photograph these differences did not have a big impact on the end canvas print.  In fact, they give it a bit more of a painting look.  Overall the image looks good.

The Final Canvas Print

• Overall Product Quality: The construction of the Juno Prints product is of high quality.  The gallery wrapping is neat and tight with clean, crisp corners.  The frame is solid and the canvas is secured to it well.  Juno Prints also does something that I have not seen from any of the other canvas printers I have reviewed thus far.  They add a backing to the stretched frame with built in hanging hardware.  This gives is a nice clean look and really finishes it off nicely.  Juno Prints uses “archival grade canvas, with UV resistant ink…” which should give you a canvas print that will stand up to time given proper care.   In the end, overall product quality is very good and I am very satisfied with the construction and presentation of the stretched canvas.
• Final Rating:      Production and shipping time totaled about one week which was on the faster side compared to others.  There was no shipping notification sent  however.  The packaging got the canvas to me in one piece in spite of some UPS “rough handling,” so that was good.  The image quality was a bit “softer” and darker than I expected based on my original image but overall was still good.  The construction of the frame and canvas quality were very good and the added touch of the backing is nice.

Want one for  yourself?  Juno Prints is offering readers of Shutter Mike a 15% discount on any canvas print order.  Simply use coupon code zxnen at checkout.  But hurry, this offer expires October1, 2012.