Saal Digital Canvas Print First Impressions
- How's the Packaging?
- The Devil is in the Details
- Build Quality of the Saal Digital Canvas Print
- How Does This Saal Digital Canvas Print Stack Up?
As you likely already know, I test a lot of canvas prints over the course of a year. Most of that testing is done as part of my annual canvas print shootout, which I've already done for 2022.
But that doesn't stop me from continuing to look for other excellent canvas print options...and I've found one in Saal Digital.
As I explain in the video below, I got this Saal Digital canvas print after first purchasing one of their photo albums. I was so impressed with the photo album that I wanted to test out the quality of their canvas.
I offer my first impressions in the video, but for convenience's sake, I've outlined my thoughts in the article below.
Spoiler alert - this Saal Digital canvas print is a high-quality, well-made print that's among the best I've seen in recent years. It's that good!
Table of Contents:
How's the Packaging?
If you aren't familiar with my canvas print shootouts, the first thing I like to evaluate is the packaging that the canvas arrives in.
This might seem like a trivial thing to zero in on, but when you order a canvas, you want it to arrive at your doorstep in good condition - not beat to hell. Good packaging helps ensure that your print is ready to hang on the wall.
As I discuss in my video, Saal Digital did a great job of packaging the print such that it was protected on all sides. The print also didn't have room to slide around inside the box, which also helps keep the corners of the print from getting damaged. Furthermore, the print was plastic-wrapped to a separate piece of cardboard as an added layer of protection. Nice!
The Devil is in the Details
When you order a canvas print, you want it to highlight all the subtle details you worked so hard to include in the original photo. This print from Saal Digital does just that.
The printed colors are incredible and perfectly match the original image file. Though a lot of the print is muted tones of gray, the pops of color (like my son's hat) look especially fantastic.
This print has excellent sharpness, too. Sometimes, you'll find that canvas prints don't retain all the sharpness of the original image, but in this case, Saal Digital did a great job. Now, much of the image is out of focus, but my son is in sharp focus in the original image. The same is true in this print.
A smaller detail that many canvas print companies overlook is the quality of the fold on the corners of the print. Often, you'll find that the corners look really sloppy, but as I show in the video, Saal Digital did a fantastic job of creating clean corners.
All in all, the print ticks the boxes for quality!
Build Quality of the Saal Digital Canvas Print
Right off the bat, I could tell that the build quality of this print was on point. The canvas is tight as a drum on the frame, which is exactly what you want!
Speaking of the frame, it's square and doesn't have any bend or curvature to the individual pieces that comprise the frame. There's no bracing on the back, which isn't something I like to see, but credit where credit is due - the simple frame structure keeps the canvas tight. We'll see how it holds up over the years.
Part of what keeps the canvas nice and snug to the frame is the stapling frequency. As I show in the video, Saal Digital has a ton of staples in this thing to keep the canvas tightly adhered to the frame.
Again, this print ticks all the boxes from a build quality standpoint. While the frame design and build are a little different from what I normally see, it's solid, straight, and square, and the canvas is tight.
How Does This Saal Digital Canvas Print Stack Up?
I got a print that was beautifully packaged, has excellent print quality, and has a frame that's doing its job keeping the canvas tight. So far, so good!
This print has other features that impressed me as well. For example, the moveable hanging hardware is a nice touch. I like that it wraps around the frame to provide stability, yet gives you the option of making fine adjustments to get the print perfectly level when you hang it.
I also appreciate the attention to detail that went into the back of the print. Now, I know the back of the print doesn't matter in terms of how the print looks on the wall, but I've found that the best canvas print companies take the time to tidy up the back of the print (e.g., removing excess canvas). It's just another way to show that care is taken to craft the best possible print.
Honestly, the only thing I would change about this print is adding some bracing to the frame to ensure it stays square. But, like I said, it's square now, and we'll see if that lasts.
Overall, this is a great print, and had I ordered it earlier in the year, it would have been with the top of the class of this year's canvas print shootout. Head over to Saal Digital to see what they can do for your favorite print, and stay tuned for next year's canvas print shootout to see how Saal Digital does against the competition!
