How to choose print type/medium

I’m interested in printing on surfaces other than paper for wall prints such as wood, metal, acrylic, canvas…or maybe paper. Do certain types of photos lend themselves more towards a certain surface, i.e. are night shots better on metal or nature scenes on wood, etc.? Is there a “don’t ever print this on…” scenario?

I’m sure this involves personal preference, but I’m interested in what people here have tried and liked for different types of images.

I’ve done them all except for wood. Paper is arguably the most accurate but you’ll need some sort of mounting and or framing. Metal is the cheapest way to get a framed print though they can lack sharpness. I wouldn’t advise canvas if you have lots of fine detail in the photo. Acrylic looks amazing if you use the museum quality acrylic but it’s the most expensive by far.

@Richard_Wong Thanks. I haven’t tried acrylic yet but it sounds like I should. Do you find different subjects to be enhanced by a particular medium, or is that irrelevant in modicum choice?

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I haven’t experimented a ton with different types of non-paper finishes, but it is important to note that whites don’t always translate well to metallic paper or metal finishes… so they may not be the right choice for a winter scene. The whites sometimes look duller or more grayish. Vibrant colors can look quite nice on metallic/metal, and I’ve had good results with blacks interspersed with orange, blue and yellow (an urban night scene). This is probably a good time to note that metallic paper is quite delicate. You should not only be careful handling it, but be sure the lab hasn’t damaged it. Creases and fingerprints don’t come out, and I’ve had to order reprints of a lot of metallic paper prints over the years due to slip-ups at the lab.

I agree that canvas isn’t great for finer detail images. On the other hand, it can be a nice option for images where textures play an important role. Same thing with something like a Velvet or Torchon paper, where the texture of the paper may effectively echo textures in the photo.

Max

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I wouldn’t necessarily say enhanced but if you have highly colorful work then metallic surfaces are probably ideal. I’d just say pick a few to test out then offer a limited amount of choices for sale. If you try to offer everything then it ends up appealing to no one.

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@Max_Waugh and @Richard_Wong Thanks for all of the tips and especially regarding color and texture. So far I’m only printing for personal use, but my main project currently is a wall collage of icebergs.

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I wrote a blog post last year comparing different types of papers and substrates. This might be of interest to you. I give this gallery I work with my ChromaLuxe metal prints though I don’t have anymore hanging in my own home.

@Richard_Wong Great! Thank you!

Karla :iphone:

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Late to the party on this one. I’m a Black and White guy and have found that paper is my most favorite medium, although I haven’t tried acrylic yet. I’m also a bit of a paper nerd so I’m biased towards paper. I’ve tried a few different metals and finishes, matte finish and glossy and I’ve yet to be satisfied as much as paper prints. As @Max_Waugh said I’ve found my Black and White images on metal to have a duller “grayish/silver” look especially in the lighter tones. I don’t have a “don’t ever” scenario especially if the customer is happy but for me personally I stick with paper, specifically the Barytas. Hope this helps.

@andrew_hertel Thanks for your comments. This is slightly off topic, but if you would use paper for a wall display, what is your preferred mounting option? I realize it’s equally subject to taste, but I’m curious if you would frame or use some other display method, especially for a wall collage.

Karla :iphone:

@karlag This is pretty typical of how I mat and frame myself. Unless someone wants something specific I use a white mat and a simple black frame, this one is a little thicker than I normally use. Again I do black and white so I find the black frame is a good choice. Hope this helps.

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@AndrewHertel - Lovely. Thanks. Sorry I missed this earlier.

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Thank you, Richard_Wong, for this excellent blog post. I appreciate you letting us know about this as I missed it the first time.

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A mentor of mine suggested that images with a lot blue look fantastic on metal. And I agree with her. I do prefer paper with smooth finishes for the best detail. I had a print done of one of our dogs on acrylic and it does have some nice color pop. Unfortunately, it is rather expensive and can scratch easily so acrylic prints need to be handled carefully.

Use archival mounting board so it won’t yellow with time or contaminate the archival papers. (All the good printing papers will be archival, which basically means acid-free.)

American Frame has good quality frames that are easy to assemble. Metal or acrylic is the most attractive for an image with fine detail but canvas can look quite nice for nature scenes and has a good color gamut.

Good canvas prints are easy to handle, and can look good without a frame.

@Jim_Zablotny and @Diane_Miller - Thank you for the additional tips and comments on color and types of images to try. I should look into American Frame also.