Stretching is a method of wrapping the canvas portrait around wooden stretcher bars that will display a sleek, frameless portrait, just like in a gallery. If you choose to have us stretch your portrait, you won't have to find framing service locally, which can be quite costly, and wait days or weeks for it to be completed. Stretching will only add approximately one week to the processing time for your order, and we even attach the hanging wire and hardware so you will be able to take your portrait out of the box and hang it on the wall immediately! Our rates for stretching, based on the size of your portrait and the size of stretcher bars you request, are very reasonable. We can stretch any size portrait on "standard" ¾ inch bars, or if your portrait is 18"x18" or larger, you can choose our "premium" bars, which are 1½ inches deep. Please refer to the pictures below for more information, and to see the difference between standard and premium bars for yourself.

Also, if you choose to have your Pop Art Pet portrait stretched, we recommend adding Gallery Borders. They provide a border on your portrait so that when wrapped, the edges of your portrait will have color rather than bare canvas. Pictures below demonstrate what a stretched portrait looks like with and without gallery borders.

A stretched pop art portrait on standard ¾ inch stretcher bars without gallery borders.	A pop art portrait stretched portrait on 1½ inch premium stretcher bars with gallery borders.	Our stretched portraits come ready to hang out of the box with attached wire hangers.
Standard stretcher bars are made with select fir wood, and are available for any size portrait. Premium stretcher bars are made from top quality kiln dried pine wood, and are available for our larger portraits. We use stretcher bars that are sanded smooth, and have a more professional finish than most. Standard stretcher bars (top) are ¾" deep. Premium stretcher bars (bottom) are 1½"deep. Our stretcher bars are well beveled so that there is minimum contact with the canvas. A stretched portrait on standard stretcher bars (top) has a simple, yet professional finish. While using the premium stretcher bars (bottom) gives your portrait the dramatic look of a true art gallery piece.

A note about shipping: Due to the size and weight of stretched portraits and the packaging required, shipping costs will be higher than for rolled portraits. However, rather than charging an exorbitant flat rate for shipping, our rates for both rolled and stretched portraits are calculated based on the weight of your portrait and your destination zip code. Also, due to shipping logistics, stretching services are not available for our clients outside the U.S.