So called "HD Metal Printing"

[cman]

Has anyone used this method to print photos for wall hanging?

https://www.whitewall.com/uk/metal-p...hd-metal-print



Seems like a great option, to avoid additional framing, that won't fade with direct sunlight and in theory should stand the test of time.

Does anyone have experience with it, and is it as good as it seems?

[Ashtennisguru]

Yep, I had a Alu di-bond print done (by whitewall actually) of a landscape panorama I took in Lyme Regis. The effect is quite stunning if you hang the image in an area with a lot of natural light as it has a kind of glow. The image overall was darker than I would have liked, but that was likely due to a callibration issue between my monitor and their process (there is no print profile for alu!). My only issue was that in transit when we moved house, at some point a smal scratch has appeared and as such the piece is ruined - quite expensive to just discard :(

If you are looking for that particular effect then it is a nice way to go for the right image (dramatic landscapes, architecture etc), but if you are just looking for something that will last the course of time then a giclee print on archive quality paper will last 100 years plus.

[cman]

That's so helpful, thanks very much!

Sounds like a good option then, and a bonus to hear you used WhiteWall too. I've read elsewhere that these metal prints may show the print to be darker than expected, so you raise a valid point. Was it significantly darker? So much so that requires tweaking to compensate beforehand? Or just a marginal difference that only you can tell?

I was looking to avoid traditional framing and something that will stand the test of time in direct sunlight, hence stumbled across this option. Your recommendation of giclee print on archive quality paper would still require framing, if I understand correctly.

May I ask how you hung your metal print on the wall? Any specific pointers you have with the benefit of hindsight?

[Ashtennisguru]

Hiya

It was probably 1 stop darker than I would have liked after printing, so if I were doing an alu print again I would edit it to the point of happiness and then adjust the exposure up 1 stop to brighten the image.

Yes a giclee print would still need framing (unless you like the idea of sticking a piece of paper to your wall :) )

I think whitewall do different "hanging" options that you can specify on order, but I just used the 3M Command picture strips (which I use for my picture hanging for all but the weightiest frames), I think I used 4 large strips, but as it was a pano printed at about 30" wide - it's still not particulalry heavy though as the alu is very thin front and back and the foam core is very light.

I'd would do one again for the right image, although interestingly I would actually frame it in a floating box frame rather than bare hang it and I would definitely edit it brighter before sending off to print.

[CriticalMass]

I’ve had a couple done by Whitewall on Alu-Dibond including 130cm x 35cm pano.

Very pleased by the result. Great service too.

[cman]

Many thanks both - we'll go for it on the strength of your experience/satisfaction!

Just for clarity, which of the 5 options did you go for? You have both mentioned DiBond, but even then, there are 2 variants:

[Ashtennisguru]

Cant remember exactly, it would have been the first one or the UltraHD I should think