Metal Prints - am I expecting too much?

[ThailandEyes]

Hi Guys,

I recently got a couple of prints done to test the technology ...

The Print to Acrylic was what I expected and I was happy with the result.

The metal print however was another story ...

What I got back appears to be aluminum stock, however it appeared to have the image printed to a membrane layer and then affixed (complete with air bubbles).

I was expecting the printing to be direct to the medium and was hoping to achieve a subtle lustre by printing this way.

Am I expecting too much? Did I get what I paid for?

I'm very disappointed in the result and have sent an email with images that show the air bubbles to the company.

Anyone have good experience in getting metal prints done?

Cheers

[ameerat42]

I do not know what they do for those metal prints, though I also thought they were done directly onto the metal (somehow).
Did you get a good description of the actual process anywhere along the line? But if there are quite obvious air bubbles visible
then it's a definite "take back and complain" job, because you did not pay for the air bubbles!

[Hawthy]

I got a metal print done a couple of years ago. Looking at it now, it does appear to be printed directly to the metal BUT there is a layer of plastic on the back of the sheet of aluminium. Are you sure that the plastic is not just a protective layer that you can peel off revealing the print onto metal? I vaguely recall that I may have needed to peel that off.

[ThailandEyes]

I got a metal print done a couple of years ago. Looking at it now, it does appear to be printed directly to the metal BUT there is a layer of plastic on the back of the sheet of aluminium. Are you sure that the plastic is not just a protective layer that you can peel off revealing the print onto metal? I vaguely recall that I may have needed to peel that off.

I'm sure its not the protective coating. That was blue in colour and I have removed it. I still expected the printing to be straight onto the metal, otherwise its not a metal print to my way of thinking ...

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I agree about the quality and the issue with the air bubbles and I'll fight that battle with the firm, but I'm hoping someone who gets metal prints can tell me if Ive been mistaken about what it actually is ...

[Mark L]

seems like you have had shoddy workmanship and you should follow up on that.
This first is a 2 minute take on how some metal prints are achieved...... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhZZzh4DOUA
It would seem this is what was used in your case.
There is also another way they are made which seems better .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4-Im45Znwo

[ameerat42]

Very interesting... - I'll nevva bovver, that's for sure!

I just can't figger out, "Why metal prints?"

[ThailandEyes]

seems like you have had shoddy workmanship and you should follow up on that.
This first is a 2 minute take on how some metal prints are achieved...... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhZZzh4DOUA
It would seem this is what was used in your case.
There is also another way they are made which seems better .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4-Im45Znwo

Thank you ... this clears it up for me ... it's not what I expected but I got what I asked for (except for the shoddy workmanship). I don't for-see that I'll need to go down this path again, I just wanted to test the waters.

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Very interesting... - I'll nevva bovver, that's for sure!

I just can't figger out, "Why metal prints?"

I was hoping for a subtle luster to the prints that would bring another dimension ... sadly, I was expecting too much

[Boo53]

I was hoping for a subtle luster to the prints that would bring another dimension ... sadly, I was expecting too much

I've not tried printing on metal but I wonder if printing on something like permanent "titanium" paper might give you that effect.

I've done a couple of prints on that paper (with an epson surecolor P600) and it's a different effect but I'll have to wait for the "right" shot for it to be worthwhile

[MattNQ]

Anyone have good experience in getting metal prints done?

Cheers

Surprisingly I was quite happy with a metal print I had done through Big W.

No bubbles, no imperfections.
Time will tell how it ages/fades etc.

It was a mono so can't comment on colours.

Big W seem to use Fuji labs for their printing.
Their canvases are OK too. Little bit coarser than some canvases perhaps.

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