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With LexJet Sunset Stretcher Bars, you can quickly produce high-quality gallery wraps in-house without investing in a lot of equipment or excess inventory. Each kit comes with everything you need for one wrap, including: four poplar wood stretcher bars with double-sided tape, back (and/or corner) braces, industrial-strength corner clips, glue, and hanging wire.
To assemble the wraps, you will need these tools:
STEP 1: Print a canvas at the desired size with a printed return at least as wide as the stretcher bars (1.5 in. or 2.25 in.). Note that LexJet stretcher-bar kits can be ordered in more than 10 standard sizes. Custom sizes can also be ordered in lengths up to 8 ft. (96 in.).
STEP 2: To determine where to place the stretcher bars on the back of the canvas, mark where all four corners of the printed image are located on the canvas. If you don’t have a light-table, simply stick a push pin through the front of the canvas. Then use a pencil to mark an “X” on the back of the canvas where each corner of the printed image is.
STEP 3: If your print has a border that will be used as a return (to cover the sides of the bars), draw lines on the back of the canvas so you can properly position the stretcher bars. Draw lines from corner to corner to indicate the edges of the printed face, then draw lines that equal the width of the return for the bars you plan to use (1.5 or 2.25 in.).
STEP 4: Peel off the double-sided tape and place the stretcher bars down on the canvas. Slip the blade of a utility knife between the liner and the adhesive to peel away the liner.
STEP 5: Position the stretcher bars on the canvas with the slanted side of each bar facing the inside of the print and the rabbitted edge facing the outside. Then, carefully press the stretcher bar down. Take care with this step, because the adhesive is very aggressive. Consider placing the stretcher bar down at an angle as before you full press it down flat. Leave a space the width of pencil line between the corners of the stretchers. The best way to do this is to place your stretcher bar in a position that shows the pencil lines you drew in Step 3.
STEP 6: Cut the corners of the canvas then fold them up.
STEP 7: Apply a clean, even line of glue around the inside edges of your stretcher bars. Even though you will be stapling the canvas to the back edge, the glue will help preserve the stretch of the canvas. When you fold up the stretchers, the glue will adhere to the slanted part of the stretcher.
STEP 8: Fold up the stretcher bars and insert the corner clips. To keep the corner from pinching the canvas, you may need to “spread” the stretcher bars slightly.
STEP 9: Staple the canvas to the back of the bars. Start stapling from the center of each stretcher and work your way to the corners. Overlap the canvas at the corners.
STEP 10: Insert the back braces. If you plan to use corner braces, it’s important to install the back braces before you put in the corner braces. The braces supplied with your kit are pre-cut to the right size. Generally, this means that the back braces are ¾-in. longer than the inside dimension. You may need a hammer to tap the brace into position.
STEP 11: Insert the corner braces. Put a little glue on the corner braces for long-term stability. Most of the time, you won’t need to tap in the corner braces. However, if the canvas doesn’t seem tight enough, tap the corner braces very lightly.
STEP 12: Install the picture-hanging wire. Drill holes for the eyelets and wrap the wire around the eyelets.
The Professional Method described here will create a permanent, drum-tight stretch. To save some time in creating wraps that will be used for shorter-term displays, you can use the Return Method, in which you trim the canvas to the width of the return, skip the stapling step, and rely on the tape and glue to maintain a tight stretch.
Call a LexJet account specialist at 800-453-9538 if you have any questions or are interested in ordering custom sizes.