Art.com Launches New photos {to} art Service

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Art.com Inc., the world's leading online specialty provider of wall art, today announced the introduction of a new photos {to} art application on art.com, offering consumers the ability to easily capture and preserve life's most precious and inspiring moments by transforming digital images into stunning, high-quality works of wall art.  The new service turns everyday photographs into premium, large-scale, ready-to-hang canvas or custom-framed photographic prints that will last a lifetime.

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"Personal photographs can really help transform a house into a home.  A great photograph starts with the image, but how it's printed, personalized and finished makes all the difference; this is very much the inspiration behind our photos {to} art service," said Andrew Wait, chief marketing officer of Art.com Inc.  "Whether you're a casual photographer trying to capture those perfect family moments or a serious professional honing your craft, photos {to} art makes it easy to transform your digital images into large-scale, high-quality and beautifully-finished wall art with the click of a button."

Unlike mass photographic printing, photos {to} art images are each inspected for image quality and then printed individually, either onto high-quality photographic paper or artist-grade cotton canvas, available in a variety of sizes from 8 x 10 to 42 x 56 inches.  For photographs on paper, a wide variety of mouldings and acid-free mats are available to create beautiful, custom-framed works of art.  Photos on canvas are stretched onto 1.5 inch wooden support bars, museum-wrapped with hand-painted black edges and covered with an anti-UV acrylic finish to protect the image from dust, moisture and fading.  Soon photos {to} art also will offer the option to mount photographs onto acrylic or wood.

Custom-framed photographic prints are approximately 40 percent lower than the average price for comparable products offered elsewhere, while prices for photos on canvas are on average approximately 10 percent lower than similar products.  Art.com's custom packaging ensures the personalized artwork will arrive at the customer's doorstep in excellent condition, and all art.com products are backed with a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee.  

In conjunction with the launch of photos {to} art, art.com has kicked off "America's Next Master Photographer," a new contest series on Facebook for aspiring and emerging photographers.

Beginning today through November 12, art.com Facebook fans can enter by submitting their photo entries through art.com's Facebook fan page for consideration.  Finalists will be determined by an art.com jury on November 18, and voting will be open to the public until November 29.  On December 9, 15 winners will be chosen by popular vote and receive their choice of a framed or canvas print of their submitted photo, courtesy of photos {to} art.  Winners will also receive a certificate and the title of "America's Next Master Photographer."

"It's no coincidence that this exciting service is launching as the holiday season nears," continued Wait.  "With photos {to} art, art.com is excited to offer a uniquely personal gift idea.  And by simultaneously introducing our 'America's Next Master Photographer' contest, we are thrilled to be able to provide our fans a fun way to share their special photos with the Facebook community and help us celebrate the launch of this new application on art.com."

To learn more about photos {to} art, please visit http://www.art.com/photostoartinfo.  Consumers can become a fan of art.com and enter the "America's Nest Master Photographer" contest at http://www.facebook.com/art.com.

About Art.com Inc.

Art.com Inc. is a leading authority in wall art and the world's largest online retailer of posters, prints, and framed art.  Since 1998, Art.com Inc. has sold high-quality wall art online to more than 10 million customers – including home decorators, interior designers, businesses, art collectors, and art lovers – in over 120 countries worldwide.  The privately-held company is headquartered in Emeryville, CA, with other facilities in Ohio, North Carolina and the Netherlands.  Its decor experts are always on top of the latest wall decor and decorating trends, and make them accessible to the everyday consumer by creating exclusive unique wall decor pieces that can't be found anywhere else. For more information, visit www.art.com and www.AllPosters.com.  "art.com" and "AllPosters" are registered trademarks of Art.com Inc.

SOURCE Art.com Inc.