If you have ever wanted your printable wall art to look like real canvas art instead of a piece of paper, this is the post for you. You do not need a special printer, you do not need to change a single setting, and the results are absolutely stunning.
Most people assume printing on canvas requires expensive equipment or a trip to a print shop. It does not.
All you need is a regular home inkjet printer, the right canvas paper, and a printable you love. That is it.
What Is Canvas Paper for Inkjet Printers?
Canvas paper is not the same as a stretched canvas you would paint on. It is a lightweight sheet with a canvas texture that feeds right through your home printer just like regular paper.
It gives your printed art that warm, textured, gallery-quality look — without the gallery price tag.
Watercolor Canvas Paper vs Regular Inkjet Canvas Paper
There are two types of canvas paper worth knowing about, each giving you a slightly different look.
Watercolor Canvas
Watercolor canvas paper gives the ink a soft, gentle bleed. The result looks painterly and almost fabric-like — more art than printout. If you want that slightly imperfect, handmade quality, watercolor canvas is your pick.
My flag in this photo was printed with watercolor canvas on my home inkjet printer.
Inkjet Canvas Paper
Regular inkjet canvas paper prints crisp, clean, and vibrant with no bleed at all. The colors are bold, and the details are sharp. It is a beautiful, polished result that looks like something straight out of a boutique.
This mini sailboat art print is on printable canvas paper.
The good news is that both printed beautifully with zero printer settings changes. You truly just press print.
How to Print on Canvas Paper at Home (Step by Step)
What You Need to Print on Canvas Paper at Home
Here is everything you need to get started. The supplies are simple and very affordable.
- Canvas Paper
- Inkjet canvas paper — I used Photo Paper Direct Inkjet Canvas Paper from Walmart — less than $15 for 10 sheets
- Watercolor canvas paper
- A regular home inkjet printer
- A printable design — my Etsy shop has hundreds of designs from vintage landscapes to flags and seasonal art
- X-ACTO knife, ruler, and cutting mat for trimming
- Magnetic frames from Amazon — less than $10, or any frame will do.
This is one of those projects that sounds more complicated than they are. Follow these five steps, and you will have beautiful canvas wall art in less than fifteen minutes.
Step 1 — Choose Your Canvas Paper
Start by deciding which look you want. If you love a soft, painterly quality with a slight bleed, go with watercolor canvas paper.
The sailboat print on the left is an inkjet-printable canvas paper. The flag on the right is watercolor canvas paper.
If you want crisp, vibrant, clean results, reach for the inkjet canvas paper. Either way, you truly cannot go wrong.
Step 2 — Load the Canvas Paper Into Your Printer
Here is the one tip that makes a real difference. Print on the whitest side of the canvas paper — it has slightly less texture and gives you the best print quality.
Load it into your printer the same way you would a regular sheet of paper. No rear manual feed, no special tray, no fuss.
Step 3 — Open Your Printable and Print
Head over to my Etsy shop and download the printable you want to use. I have hundreds of designs, including vintage landscapes, botanical prints, seasonal art, and American flags — something for every style and every room.
If you want the sailboat print, click here. If you want the American flag print, click here.
Open your file, hit print, and that is honestly all there is to it. No settings changes, no adjustments. Just print.
Step 4 — Trim the White Edges or Cut to Frame Size
Your print may have a small white border around the edge. Simply place it on a cutting mat, line up your ruler, and trim it clean with an X-ACTO knife.
A rotary cutter or scissors work just as well if that is what you have on hand.
Step 5 — Frame It
This is where it gets really fun. I used magnetic frames from Amazon for this project, and I am absolutely in love with them.
They are less than ten dollars, and they could not be easier to use. There is a top piece and a bottom piece that simply magnetize together around your print.
But you can use any frame, from vintage gold frames to modern thin frames. That's the beauty of this project. You get to pick your art for a reasonable price and frame it however it fits your style.
Hang it on a wall, lean it on a shelf, or tap a small nail into the front of a bookcase and hang it right there. It looks like a million dollars for almost nothing.
The Cost Breakdown — This Is Shockingly Affordable
Let me break this down because I think you are going to love these numbers.
The Photo Paper Direct Inkjet Canvas Paper costs less than $15 for 10 sheets. That works out to about $1.50 per print.
Add a printable from my Etsy shop at $5.99, and right now it is half off, and a magnetic frame for under ten dollars. Your total project cost is right around $15 or less, excluding the printer ink.
Compare that to buying a piece of canvas art at a boutique or home decor store, and you are saving thirty dollars or more. That is the kind of math I love.
Creative Ways to Display Your Canvas Printable Art
Now that you know how to print on canvas, you might be wondering what I can do with all this beautiful, realistic art. Well, I have you covered with many ideas:
- On the mantel — the American flag framed in the ornate gold frame on chambray fabric layered in front of the sailboat print is just one example.
- On a bookcase — the sailboat in the magnetic frame hung on the front of the bookcase or place one in a frame leaning on the back of shelf.
- On an easel — add a small canvas print on an easel to go on an end table or chest.
- In your entryway — Entryway tables are perfect for art on an easel, or leaning against books
- On a gallery wall — group several framed canvas prints together for a collected layered look
Start shopping my Etsy shop, where I show more ideas of how to decorate with printable art.
Want to Print Larger Than 8×10?
A standard home printer maxes out at an 8×10 print size. For this project, that is the perfect size — it fits beautifully in a magnetic frame or a standard picture frame.
But if you want to go bigger, you absolutely can. Check out my post on how to print and frame large printable art for everything you need to know about using Walgreens or a local print shop to get a larger print.
Plus, my how to decoupage printable art is a great way to make your Walgreens print look even more like a work of art.
This large sailboat came from Walgreens. My favorite part is that it is ready in one hour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a laser printer to print on canvas paper?
No — canvas paper is designed specifically for inkjet printers. Laser printers use heat and toner instead of ink, and they do not work well on the coated surface of canvas paper. Stick with an inkjet printer for the best results.
Beautiful Art for Almost Nothing
Before you go, if you loved this project, make sure you check out my DIY Framed American Flag Art post — it uses watercolor canvas paper and a thrifted chambray fabric background, and it looks absolutely incredible.
The whole idea behind printing on canvas paper is that you get beautiful, custom, one-of-a-kind art in your home for just a few dollars. No trips to a frame shop, no expensive prints, no settling for something that is almost right.
You pick the art you love, you print it yourself, and it looks like you spent a fortune. Head over to my Etsy shop and find a print that is perfect for your home, and then go make something beautiful.
Happy Decorating!
