Metal, acrylic or canvas: which print for the photo?
All three can hang without a frame, and all three can be made large. What separates them is the surface: metal is hard and bright, acrylic is deep and glossy, canvas is soft and textured. Choose the one that suits the photograph, then check it against the room.
Metal prints
A metal print is an image printed straight onto aluminum. Ours are UV prints, made on our flatbed onto pearled or brushed aluminum or white aluminum composite (Dibond), with the ink cured by ultraviolet light as it prints. Brushed aluminum lets the metal show through the lighter parts of the image; white composite keeps the whites white. Metal suits strong color and crisp detail.
Acrylic prints
An acrylic print is printed straight onto an acrylic panel on the same UV flatbed. The acrylic gives the image depth and a glossy finish that makes color look rich; it also reflects more than the other two, so think about the windows opposite the wall. The mounting hardware is talked through when the print is ordered.
Canvas prints
A canvas print is a giclée: printed with archival pigment inks on canvas, up to 64 inches wide on our Epson SureColor P20000, then stretched in house. The weave softens the image, which suits portraits, paintings and anything that should feel warm rather than sharp. It can hang as it is or go into a floater frame.
Size and light
Metal and acrylic print up to 60 by 96 inches on the UV flatbed, and a larger wall can take several panels. Canvas runs to 64 inches wide. Daylight fades ink over time on any print, so tell us where it will hang: a sunny wall can change the choice.
Choosing at the counter
Bring the file, or the original to be scanned, and look at the materials side by side; the price is quoted per piece, by the size, the material and the finish. See metal and acrylic prints, canvas prints and giclée printing.
