I recently saw an ad for printing/sublimation (not sure) on thin aluminum. It is said to be very durable and vibrant.
Has anyone used this medium?
I'm thinking seriously about doing a series on AL...I would give their product a try first of course but was wondering if anyone could offer any insight.
I'm guessing it was from H&H Color Lab? Yes, the prints are STUNNING looking. You can order it printed on aluminum with a white base coat applied or directly over the brushed aluminum finish which has an interesting metallic look to it. It is a dye sub print which is then heat pressed to the aluminum making it permanent and smooth. It is also quite durable. (I had a dog tag made for my dog and he's worn it for 9 months with no problems.)
I saw that Bay Photo is also offering prints on Aluminum as well.... Unique but rather limited in terms of application for both your intended audience or display....
You can hang them using chain kits they sell or with anything else you can hang a print with. (Wire, hooks, ribbon, etc.) They can also be hung from each other if you order it with 4 holes so you can daisy chain several together.
I have a friend of mine thats a wedding photographer and he printed a HUGE collage of one (of a bride and groom) on 12 total (6 rows, 2 columns) each 1' x 1' and it looks stunning.. It was absolutely incredible.
Just ordered some dog tags and a license plate from Bay Photo. Let's see if I can generate some interest in the football and soccer parents around here.
I tried a sample pack. Never found images that I really liked on aluminum though.
That is really thing material that would need bonding to some other solid surface to be very rigid. The prints that the labs offer are on a thicker, rigid sheet metal.
H&H offers it with a brushed metal finish (the metal base shows through) or on a bright white coated surface which results in very bright color. I've never seen what other labs offer but the prints from H&H are nice.
I've had metal prints from numerous sources, including BayPhoto. From my experience, the metal prints are not as stunning as a normal Fuji Crystal Archive print, which is my standard gallery print. I also find them to be not as sharp, and sometimes have minor color casts to them. The plus side is that they are much cheaper than traditional framing since they are ready to hang. The brushed aluminum surface looks great, but it has to be at an exact angle. Off angle they look horrible. I settled on the high gloss surace. I had 4 made up for the gallery, and so far, I havent sold one yet.......
I also find it annoying when someone promotes a business, but doesn't tell everyone that they work for that business ......
telling people you stand to gain from the opinion you offer is so passe.
Booksmart's offering have been getting some pretty good results from what I've heard, I'm working on how to run them through my printer, the finish apparently gets scratched as it runs through the 9900's feed mechanism
......