Metal prints

[wmchauncey]

Cost factor aside...what might be the downsides of metal prints?

[dgberg]

Shorter longevity when displayed in direct sunlight.
Cost factor is quite good I think??
Material and equipment setup costs are somewhat expensive.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Shorter longevity when displayed in direct sunlight...

Any research on that?

[shadowblade]

They're probably less lightfast than pigment prints on good paper or canvas, since they use dyes rather than pigments. On the other hand, they're more physically durable.

Dye-sub metal prints are great sellers. With many photos, they are striking and impactful, their Cibachrome-like gloss, intense colours and bold, minimalistic presentation standing out more than less-bold canvas prints, and much more than fragile paper prints hidden behind glass in a frame. But I place great value in longevity, so am always considering other ways to get a bold, lightfast and physically-durable image onto a physically-durable substrate.

[dgberg]

Any research on that?

I knew that question was coming..
Only what I have read on the internet.
We know everything that we read online is truthful,right!

[wmchauncey]

We know everything that we read online is truthful,right!

Ouch, that sarcastic comment is merely a stake thru the heart of all the believers out there...if it's written, it's gotta be true.     

Another question...assuming that you have good quality @ 100%...are there any types of images inappropriate for metal?

[dgberg]

We do tons of this stuff and I am still not a fan of individual or family portraits on metal.
Don't get me wrong they do look good, just look more natural on a real nice paper or canvas. YMMV
I use the white matte metal when printing those types.
The landscapes seem to all come out with that 3D pop on the white gloss.
Black and whites are average to poor at best with only one black ink.
About a $10k investment to print and press the sizes I do (Up to 16x24")
To jump to the 30x40 press and a 44" dye sub printer with rip your looking at $20K.
Jump to the 44x64" with printer and all the goodies plus some stock and your over $25K.
You better be setup to sell if you want to go large.
I have looked closely at this several times and have backed away from it.
Opens up more cans of worms I do not want to open.
Shipping, crating plus stocking several thousand dollars worth of stock that may not sell.
Plus competing with the big guns is never easy.
Just follow the discounts, you can tell when they are not busy and just need to turn some cash.
Not interested in that rat race.

[Wayne Fox]

Any research on that?

https://dl.bayphoto.com/docs/Xenon_Report_12_2011.pdf

Note the comparisons are only to 3 unknown C print papers, not to any inkjet.

Also note the fade characteristics of the metal shows the magenta seems to fade at a faster rate than than the other colors .. possible the print will tend to shift green over time?

I’d like to figure out a way to get the metal prints tested by Mark.  It appear they aren’t too bad, but not as good as current inkjet prints.

[wmchauncey]

We do tons of this stuff and I am still not a fan of individual or family portraits on metal.
Don't get me wrong they do look good, just look more natural on a real nice paper or canvas. YMMV
I use the white matte metal when printing those types.
The landscapes seem to all come out with that 3D pop on the white gloss.

Dan, your response is just what I was looking for, but...it may come back to haunt you as I've bookmarked your site to order stuff.