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Does anyone have experience of buying excellent quality metal prints of Nature for a general consumer?

Look at Bayphoto...
http://www.bayphoto.com/metalprints/

Thanks for the info, although Bay Photo seems to be more for professional photographers than newbies and consumers when you go there (says so on the site, has a "download" resale certificate, then requires you to download software, balance your screens, etc. and talks about "clients"). There seem to be a few of these pro-sites--not consumer friendly and seems like a lot of work.  Plus, another site said they got green hair with Bay Photo and then were referred to "disclaimers" when they complained.

Anyone know more "consumer" friendly for a bunch of small photos and maybe a poster sized one that you or anyone else in the forum has had a good experience with? (too expensive to "test")

Thanks in advance.

Aspen Creek Photo is the lab I use but to be honest any lab that is capable of doing metal prints will be geared to advance amateurs and professionals and will require you to download a ROES to upload image to them. All metal prints come with disclaimers due to the process of creating them there will always be some imperfections in the metal that shows on the prints. I was in Moab recently at Tom Hills gallery and the metal prints he had from Bay Photo were excellent as are the one from Aspen.

Another vote for Bay Photo for their aluminum metal prints.

I disagree about the requirement to download ROES for excellent prints. Some places, like Aluminyze, do the "prep" work for you (with manual color correction)-you don't have to be the expert, perfect blacks (no green hair (like some of the responses for Bay Photo (maybe the software user didn't set it up right) and no disclaimers--if it isn't right they re-do it. It's also all these guys do--so they are quick, big and consumer (and pro) friendly.
Ask for their pro discount for your clients if you have any. Have used them a lot-amazing work!

I just *hate* ROES. It is high time that piece of software is redone - I am not holding my breath though. If it were not for ROES, I'd do a lot more printing at Bay Photo. They are (relatively) local to me and the end product is excellent but ROES gives me this shivers every time.

MPIX does a fine job. I just got a 20 x 30 and am very happy. Note that it is a very glossy surface. That's not a problem, but somehow I thought it might be a matte finish. Their service is first rate, never had an order take more that 3 days to arrive, most in 2.

As a side note that may not be what the OP was asking, I have just started printing with the Moab Slickrock Metallic Pearl 260. What an interesting paper, it does create a metallic sheen and colors really pop. Mounted on 3/8" cork backed foam board and you have the poor man's metal print.

MarkoPolo wrote:As a side note that may not be what the OP was asking, I have just started printing with the Moab Slickrock Metallic Pearl 260. What an interesting paper, it does create a metallic sheen and colors really pop. Mounted on 3/8" cork backed foam board and you have the poor man's metal print.

That is what I was going to ask about. 

I have used BC's Vibrance Metallic for many poster-sized movie posters (sorry, couldn't resist) for my home theater and they look amazing, especially the ones which have a lot of high-contrast areas, like the Hobbit and Indiana Jones and Raiders. 

However, I also found that the actual print resolution suffers. Side by side comparison of the metallic paper with BC's own Elegance Velvet (which is classified as a 'fine art' paper) revealed that even with a high-contrast scene (a B&W image of the New York City skyline at night), the metallic paper had a lower level of detail. The difference was obvious at close viewing distance (3 ft for the 30X40 print). 

Still, I find the metallic prints to have a distinct appeal of their own with certain images. Don't know if an aluminum print would provide the high resolution of a 'fine art' paper but I am sure the 'pop' would definitely be evident.

Would like to hear from people who have printed their own on metallic paper and also have aluminum prints from a printing house like Bayphoto.

Pradeep 

I haven't had time to look very closely, but I don't see any loss of sharpness with Slickrock. However, I haven't printed with any other Moab papers, but it surprises how much it looks like the aluminum print I got from MPIX. Definitely will be getting more Slickrock, perhaps try the 300 platinum.

If you are asking about images printed on metal (aluminum prints), I have used BayPhoto with excellent results. I simply loaded my processed image into ROES and selected the metal print option of my choice. It was not a complicated process.

Most of the better reputable companies offer a variety of services that can allow professional shooters and those more concerned with quality control to ensure that the product they get meets their standards. Therefore icc profiles, color correcting, image proofing, and other services are available. It doesn't mean you need to load and use every feature - it is just available for you if you need it. Ordering a metal print from BayPhoto can be very simple. Call them up and ask them if you are having problems.

I haven used Bay Photo for bamboo prints but not aluminum. Their quality is pretty good. Most of the stuff I send out go to Bumblejax. Their aluminum prints are great. And there's no software to download (unlike Bay Photo)!

I had some B&W metal prints done by Bay Photo. They came back with a green tint...very disappointed. Same files printed on my own printer using various papers did not produce any tint.

Contacted Bay Photo about this, but was given the go around...I'd look elsewhere.

I have heard 'Image Wizards' is very good. They have been promoted by the likes of Jay Leno showing off his cars on a metal print. They do not use ROES; just upload to their site. I agree -- ROES is not so user friendly as it could be. It reminds of software from two decades ago. I use it often for greeting cards and it is not so much fun!

A quick update.

I just got a batch of Moab's Slickrock Metallic Silver paper. Not only is this one a bit heavier in weight, but it actually looks metallic grey when you first take it out of the box. I got a shock when I saw that since I've never seen an inkjet paper that wasn't white.

However, the prints are stunning in quality, with a shimmer and you actually feel that you are holding a thin sheet of metal in your hand and not paper. Everyone who has seen these has been blown away.

A few caveats  though.

1. The subject matter has to be high contrast and 'textured' if you know what I mean. Waterfalls with a rainbow are perfect as are highly saturated landscapes, city skylines at night and so on.

2.  The viewing light is very important. Since it is so reflective, the best way to look at the prints is in good light, preferably with a spot overhead. Which brings me to the next.......

3. You obviously do not want to frame this with the usual mat and glass or acrylic in front. So mounting options are important. Right now I just have the prints sitting in a drawer, have not quite figured out the backing, perhaps Gatorboard, will have to see. Hanging it on the wall is also crucial, you have to do it where there is direct light falling on it, such as from track lighting.

Having said that, the prints are truly impressive and would in the end cost far less than aluminum from a pro lab. For that matter, if I had to spend that kind of money, I would rather go for the acrylic and Dibond sandwich prints. They are so much nicer to look at.

Pradeep

I have used Aspen Creek for regular and acrylic prints but not metallic. They have two ways for you to send in your  images, one of which is ROES. I have used both of them and have not found any difficulties with using ROES or the other option. I have never had any problems with them. 

Joe Smith, 

newbie15 wrote:Anyone know more "consumer" friendly for a bunch of small photos and maybe a poster sized one that you or anyone else in the forum has had a good experience with? (too expensive to "test")
 

Yes.

I had a commercial client purchase a few dozen large aluminum prints from me via Fine Art America.  The FAA user interface is very simple, and one certainly doesn't need to be a pro in order to use ti to full advantage.  

My client ordered a few dozen 36" by 24" prints, as well as a few 40" by 27" prints and a few big 48" by 32" prints.  All were printed on aluminum.  My clients were very, very happy with the ready-to-hang final product.  I saw the prints displayed once the building was complete, and to my eye they looked great - no issues with resolution of fine detail, color cast, etc.  Everything was "spot on"! 

I have had a few other orders thru Fine Art America that were not big commercial orders, just folks who wanted a print or two for their home.  In each case the client has been very happy with the result and I have received no complaints about any aspect of the FAA buyers experience.

All I did was to start an account at FAA (took 5 minutes tops) and upload my files to my their website.  That's it!  Just upload via a quick drag and drop thingy.  No need to understand any complicated color calibration stuff at all.  No need to use any "zipped files" or any of the other ridiculous uploading software that people do to make things more complicated.  Just drag and drop - really!

The final prints look exactly the way the images look on my monitor, with no disparity in white balance, hue, or exposure (I had a few shipped directly to me, so I was able to compare them to my original files before delivering them to the client).  Overall it was an extremely easy simple process that produced results that could not have been any better.  

Please note that my FAA experiences are limited to metal (aluminum) prints - I have never had anyone order any canvas or paper or framed prints from them, so I really can't speak about their quality with those mediums.

Here's a link:
http://fineartamerica.com/sell-art-online.html

And here's what FAA has to say about their metal prints:
About Metal Prints
[font=arial]Bring your artwork to life with the stylish lines and added depth of a metal print.   Your image gets printed directly onto a sheet of 1/16" thick aluminum.[/font]
[font=arial]The aluminum sheet is offset from the wall by a 3/4" thick wooden frame which is attached to the back.   The wooden frame includes a hanging wire for easy mounting on your wall (see photo on the left).[/font]
[font=arial]All metal prints ship within 3 - 4 business days and arrive "ready to hang" with mounting hooks and nails.[/font]
[font=arial]Metal prints are extremely durable.   They're lightweight.  They won't bend, and they're water resistant.[/font]
The high gloss of the aluminum sheet complements the rich colors of any image to produce stunning results.
[font=arial]For additional product photos and information, visit our metal prints product page.[/font]

newbie15 wrote:Thanks for the info, although Bay Photo seems to be more for professional photographers than newbies and consumers when you go there (says so on the site, has a "download" resale certificate, then requires you to download software, balance your screens, etc. and talks about "clients"). There seem to be a few of these pro-sites--not consumer friendly and seems like a lot of work.  Plus, another site said they got green hair with Bay Photo and then were referred to "disclaimers" when they complained.

Anyone know more "consumer" friendly for a bunch of small photos and maybe a poster sized one that you or anyone else in the forum has had a good experience with? (too expensive to "test")

Thanks in advance.

I use Aspen Creek Photo (offshoot of  West Coast Imaging) and have been very pleased with them.  If I'm printing large I typically make a paper print on "Pearl" paper first, as the look is very similar to the white base with gloss finish on aluminum.  Colors that are "off" though could be a result of a monitor calibration issue.  Might be worth trying a small print on Pearl to see what you get.    Charleen Baugh

I just order them from my Fine Art America account. I purchase them through a collector account I opened and I give myself a 100% discount. I find FFA does a great job and they seem to be a lot cheaper than many labs.