When I first got into this industry I wanted to have the absolute best setup for producing the highest quality metal prints.
I knew my 2 options were either a sublimation setup or a UV flatbed printer.
What I did was I ordered metal prints from all the top online companies that offer sublimation prints and UV Flatbed prints. I honestly wanted to go with the flatbed option and was ready to invest close to $200k on one.
I liked the ability to be able to print on just about any surface and it didnt require a special coating. Where with sublimation, the metal needs to have a polyester based coating to absorb the ink.
When I received the prints, the sublimation metal prints were by far better than the UV printed prints. I ordered both clear finish and white gloss finish from a half dozen companies in total.
There is a reason why the top metal print companies all use sublimation for their prints. The results are superior.
If you're going to get into a business you owe it to yourself to do it the right way.
The very first method I read about was the booksmart blanks and using inkaid. I discovered that from finding LL in my google searches and from what I read on here, its extremely difficult, time consuming and expensive to go down that path. I didnt try it myself, but based on what I read up on these very forums, the inkaid option just doesnt cut it for professional metal prints.