As an artist you must always be passionate about your paintings and want the piece of art to remain safe for the longest possible period. Indeed, to give your artwork a longevity, artists tend to invest in quality canvas and stretcher bars. To introduce, a stretcher bar is a wooden framework support on which an artist stretches and mounts his/her blank canvas to paint. While they can get it readymade, they tend to do it themselves to cut costs while securing desirable quality. In fact, it is also wise when you are painting frequently, lest the activity might prove too expensive. In order to facilitate artists, numerous vendors have gone online and offer pre-fabricated stretcher bars with interlocking corners to make it all the more user-friendly and cost-effective for them.

When shopping online, stretcher bars are found in a variety of choices. It is important for the artist to know the broad categories in stretcher bars in advance to make an informed choice. In case of a newbie, it is vital to know which size of painting would be fine as they range from a light duty stretcher bar to a super heavy duty bar.

1. Light duty stretcher is apt for small paintings or giclee paintings. It has beaded edges which prevents the paintings from cracking. It is a smart buy for small budgets.
2. Medium/ heavy duty bars give a substantial side profile to the paintings. They are not as solid as the heavy duty bars, but are sturdy enough to hold the canvas without warping.
3. Heavy duty stretcher bars are strong heavy duty bars with eased edges, which do not let the canvas touch the frame
4. Super heavy duty bars are the frames used to hold large canvases without bending

Further, these frames are generally built out of lightweight materials less likely to wrap with variations in the climate and temperature. However, you must also ensure that the bars are solid and there is a tension between the bars which will not let the canvas to sag. Also noteworthy is that stretcher bars come in pairs only. You can order these in different sizes based on your requirement.