Sep 29 2015

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Posted on September 29, 2015 by admin

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I love taking photos of Dexter & Heidi. When I catch them just right they’re simply stunning and I can’t believe Craig & I made them. Yet, they’re growing so fast and with everyday that passes, their little chubby faces are morphing into the teenage ones that will soon sit moodily across from us at the dinner table. Taking photos is my way of preserving the memory of them as they pass through each stage of their lives - from baby, to toddler and beyond.

I took such a photo the other day that perfectly captures Heidi. She looks like she’s stepped right off the set of Breakfast at Tiffany’s with her amber teething necklace and over-the-shoulder Hepburn-esque pose. She just looks positively angelic and I knew I had to make a canvas out of it. Having identified a large wall in our dining room that needed something interesting, I decided to play with the image and use it as a centrepiece.

At first glance, it’s not perfect. You can see the mess in their playroom, and she’s off-centre. The colours would also look out of place in my dining room (duck egg blue and white). So I popped the image through a photo editing suite, fiddled with the brightness, cropped it and changed it to black and white. There wasn’t a lot I could do about her toys, but I like to think she’s so stunning that the background becomes obsolete.

Heidi

I used PhotoBox this time around, and have to say I’m seriously impressed. Everything from editing, to ordering, right on down to the email communication was pretty much perfect. Having reviewed for tons of photo-to-canvas services over the years, the PhotoBox experience has definitely been the most professional.

THE WEBSITE…

… is slick and very user-friendly. There’s no fussy & complicated editing suite that has become synonymous with ordering canvasses. The upload function was fast and simple. You can pull images from Instagram, Facebook, G+, your computer or your iPhoto (for Mac users) using their new super fast uploader. This gives you free unlimited secure storage for your JPEG photos on the PhotoBox site - ideal for regular customers or those designing calendars or photo-books.

Upload

You then simply select your image / album from your profile, and select create a product. A product menu will then pop up (complete with pricing) so you can turn your image into something special - be it a gift or treat for yourself.

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Editing from there on in is simplicity itself. You can adjust the size, select your orientation and opt to wrap the image - all from one screen. You’ll then go on to order. My only slight niggle was that if you choose a solid block colour wrap, your only option is white. This was exactly what I wanted for my canvas, however for colour canvasses I can imagine it would be nice to pick out a colour contained within the image to make the edges less of a contrast.

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ORDERING…

… is just as straightforward.

You can choose to pay via PayPal or all other major card services and check-out super easy and well explained.

Dining

My canvas at 100cm by 76cm is the largest size available and is currently priced at £45 (+ £15 for “classic” 3.8cm thickness, although you can opt for a “lite” 1.8cm thickness at no extra cost). Knowing canvasses as I do, this is an insane price and the cheapest you’ll find online. This means you can update a room inexpensively with a statement piece. Delivery prices are also very reasonable with my mammoth canvas arriving in just 2 days via courier for £6.95. You can also opt for special or tracked delivery for a small fee if you’re in a rush.

Throughout every stage of my order, I received an email (it was being made, it was being dispatched etc) and I knew exactly when it would arrive. It arrived safe and sound and perfectly packaged via a national courier service - what more could you ask for?

QUALITY

It’s stretched and secured better than others we’ve come across before, with heavy duty staples that won’t scrape your paintwork. It’s also tightly wrapped and incredibly neat on the underside. The staples are proportionately aligned making it easy to hang with poster stickers should you not want to drill into your walls. Ours also arrived with wall fixings, but as we live in a rented house we opted not to use these.

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The colour is great and the image is nice and bright. There’s no blurring or bleeding of the print - it’s completely crisp and makes a huge statement. I’m just completely delighted with it and it has completely transformed our dining room.

You can stay informed about special offers and deals via social media:

Twitter: @PhotoBox / Facebook: @PhotoBoxPBX / G+: @PhotoBoxcouk / Instagram: @PhotoBoxUK

Or… you can win one right here!

PhotoBox have very generously given me a bestselling 60cm x 40cm canvas to give away! Entry is, as always via Rafflecopter so best of luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and conditions

UK entrants only – you must be over 18 too (sorry)
The winner will be contacted by email and must respond within 3 days of having been emailed (I’ll try all known avenues to contact them) or a new winner will be drawn
When the giveaway is closed, Rafflecopter will select the winner completely at random
The winners name will be published on this site
There is no cash alternative

UK competitions at ThePrizeFinder

Jun 9 2015

Fabulous Father’s Day gifts from Truprint

Posted on June 9, 2015 by admin

I’ve showcased a bunch of Father’s Day gifts on this blog; from novelty items, to alcohol to chocolate. All of these come highly recommended by the daddy of this household (I mean, name a dad who would turn down beer!) but none of them would last a lifetime.

Photo gifts do exactly that. Whether it’s a mug or a placeholder, canvas or photobook, these are the pressies that really make an impact and will find themselves permanently on display, or eventually stored in a memory box, to be cherished ad infinitum.

It might sound cliche, but a picture really does say a thousand words. This is especially true if you have children and they constantly change before your eyes; Chubby cheeks hollow out, baby curls give way to scruffy barnets, and gappy smiles are filled in with the adult teeth they’ll have forever. Hovering with your camera when they’re young is the best possible way to preserve those memories, and just flicking back through pics taken a few months before can make you well up.

We made those smiles, we made those gangly legs, we made those sticky-out ears - it’s the closest thing to a miracle we’ll ever experience

(every mum & dad I know have had this very same conversation)

Truprint have a great range of Father’s Day presents that really embrace this sentiment. Gone are the days of expensive photoshoots with professional photographers, then flicking through proofs to pick out the ones where you all have your eyes open. Nowadays, most of us have access to a digital camera or camera phone and can capture the expressions and memories that really mean something to us - that aren’t staged in a studio somewhere.

When you have the perfect snap, you can add it as a screensaver to your laptop or your phone, or go one better and get it on canvas. And for this Fatther’s Day we’ve done just that.

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This picture of Heidi is the first we’ve had blown up of her. I had a thousand to choose from, but this one means something extra special to us as it’s the first proper smile we managed to capture on camera. She was quick to do everything - crawling, walking, talking - she’s only 13 months and this little girl is well on her way to getting a masters degree. But this smile, at 4 weeks old, just melts our hearts.

CREATING IT

For a canvas project, uploading a photo is simple and there are even pop-up tips to help you get the best out of the experience. The project screen is easy to navigate with all your core options in drop downs on your left hand side and handily, your project sub total is always displayed top left so you can see what your creation costs as you create it.

Hovering over the photo, you’ll also be given the opportunity to further edit it (zoom, effects (sepia, black and white, tint etc), brightness, colour enhancement and red-eye correction). It’s a very simplistic editing suite compared to some others I’ve come across, but perfectly adequate and easy-to-use.

I have only one criticism. I opted for a sold wrap canvas rather than a gallery wrap (e.g. my canvas edges would be a block colour rather than having my photo wrap around them). This was necessary as the image I had selected was a close-up of Heidi and I didn’t want to lose some of her head. Unfortunately however, Truprint only have black available and it would have been nice to have picked out a colour contained within the image to make the edges less of a contrast.

THE QUALITY

I’m really impressed by the quality of the canvas. it’s stretched and secured better than others we’ve come across before, with heavy duty staples that won’t scrape your paintwork. I’m also pleased with the chunky 37mm pine frame which, in my opinion, looks so much better than thinner frames we received from other printers. It also comes with wall fittings and was perfectly packaged.

The colours are great and really pop (despite this being a non high-res pic), and there’s no blurring or bleeding of the print. I’m just completely delighted with it and can’t wait to show Craig on Father’s Day.

*******

In conclusion, I’d happily recommend Truprint for creating canvasses. I’d always advise you shop around for the best deal but it’s always worth reading reviews too. The quality really does vary from printer to printer so if you want the best bang for your buck, make sure you won’t be disappointed by seeing what customers have to say. In this example, for the second time running Truprint have aced it.

You can stay informed about special offers and deals via Facebook and Twitter and check out all their other Father’s Day photo gift ideas on their website.

Jul 17 2014

Getting it Right: The Canvas Prints Review

Posted on July 17, 2014 by admin

I love taking photos of my little people. To me, they’re the most beautiful children in the world and when I catch them just right they take my breath away. Everyday they seem to change so taking photos is my way of preserving the memory of them in that moment, on that day, and at that stage in their lives.

Whenever I get a really special photo, I can’t resist getting it made into a canvas. We have them in every room of the house and Dexter even has his own vanity wall in his bedroom. It’s very rare however that we get a picture worthy of canvassing with mummy or daddy in. We just can’t compete with our beautiful kids! So a few weeks back, when I managed to take the perfect selfie of Heidi and I, I went for it.

We used a new printer this time - The Canvas Prints. They contacted me over email to see if I’d like to trial their services and it turned out to be perfect timing.

I was pretty impressed with their website. It’s slick and very user-friendly. There was none of the usual fussy options and the upload function was fast and uncomplicated. You can pull images from Instagram, Facebook, G+ or your computer so you don’t need to save to your desktop in order to get them to the editing suite. Simple.

The editing suite is simplicity itself. You pick your size, fiddle with the effects (optional) then preview it. If you opted for a solid block colour wrap, you also have the option of which colour you want (big plus here as this is very often limited to black and white). I was also pleased to see that the price is always clearly displayed throughout your session.

But this is why you should really choose them

Delivery is within 2-5 days after your order is submitted
The quality is astounding
The prices are the best I’ve seen

I couldn’t believe it when my canvas arrived so quickly. It was incredibly well packaged in a snug cardboard box, with corner inserts and a plastic cover to keep it pristine during delivery.

The quality is also unrivaled in my opinion. I’ve used so many different canvas businesses in my time and I just can’t fault this one. It’s tightly wrapped and incredibly neat on the underside. The staples are perfectly aligned and covered with masking tape to protect your walls, and there’s a picture hook so you’re ready to hang it immediately.

The image itself is crisp and high res, and there’s no colour fading or blurring. Okay, the picture was taken on my Canon so you’d expect nothing less, but it’s surprising how many canvasses I receive with minor imperfections. Not so with The Canvas Prints, it’s just so well executed.

My print (16″x16″) is just £32.00. Comparing this to sites such as Photobox (£74.99), Picanova (£37.40), and Your Image on Canvas (£44.99), that’s a significant saving, even without taking into account the superior quality.

If you’d like to check them out for yourself the website is www.thecanvasprints.co.uk - you won’t find anywhere better.