What Each Surface Actually Is

A fine art print, sometimes called a giclée on paper, is made on archival cotton rag paper, typically between 250 and 350 gsm. The surface is flat and slightly textured. Ink sits on the paper's tooth, which is why fine gradations and thin lines survive. Duncan's work depends on that. His figures are built from small, deliberate passages, and patterned borders and backgrounds carry much of the composition.

A canvas print reproduces the same image on woven canvas, usually cotton or a cotton blend, stretched over a frame. The weave adds texture of its own. That texture softens the very finest detail at close range but gives the image body when viewed from across a room. Canvas is usually hung unframed or with a simple float frame. Paper needs glazing and a frame to protect it.

Which Suits Duncan's Detail Better

For Duncan specifically, fine art paper has the edge on detail. His paintings are dense with pattern, from interlaced ornament to speckled backgrounds, and paper renders that density more faithfully. A paper print of a work like The Riders of the Sidhe rewards close looking in a way canvas slightly blurs. If you plan to sit with the image, paper is the honest choice.

Canvas has its own argument. Duncan's compositions were designed as large decorative panels, and canvas suits that scale. A big canvas print hung without glass avoids reflections, weighs less than a glazed frame, and reads as an object rather than a picture behind glass. The detail you lose up close matters less at two metres. Choose canvas for size and presence, paper for scrutiny.

When to Choose Canvas Over Paper

Cost, Care and the Honest Tradeoffs

Paper prints generally cost less at the same size because the substrate is cheaper and framing is optional, though good glazing erases that saving. Canvas avoids the framing cost entirely but is rarely cheap in larger dimensions. At comparable sizes expect paper plus frame and stretched canvas to land within a similar range, so price alone rarely decides it.

Care differs too. Paper behind glass needs dusting and dislikes direct sun and humidity, where colours can shift over years. Canvas tolerates a dry room but the surface can scuff and cannot be cleaned easily. Neither is fragile, and neither is indestructible. Buy the surface that matches the wall, the light and the viewing distance, not the one with the better-sounding name.