Metal and acrylic prints.
Best Framing makes metal and acrylic prints in Costa Mesa, Orange County, printing straight onto aluminum, acrylic and wood on the UV flatbed in the same print lab as its giclées.
How is a metal print made?
The image is printed straight onto the aluminum on our UV flatbed, with ink that is cured by ultraviolet light as it prints. Pearled and brushed aluminum are among the materials we print most, and white aluminum composite, known as Dibond, is one we stock.
The UV flatbed
Printing straight onto aluminum, acrylic or wood, up to 60 by 96 inches, so the print is the panel and hangs without glass.
The CNC table
Rounded corners, beveled edges, routed holes and custom-shaped outlines. You specify the shape and the edges of a print on wood, metal or acrylic.
Can you print straight onto acrylic?
Yes. Our 60 × 96 inch UV flatbed prints straight onto the medium itself. Wood, acrylic, pearled aluminum and brushed aluminum are the ones we print most, and newer ideas include tile, cabinet doors and fabrics.
We stock clear acrylic, half-inch baltic birch plywood, and white aluminum composite panels, known as Dibond. If you have a material of your own, bring it in. Bring the material in, and we assess its suitability before production.
We have printed on leather, ceramic tiles, barnwood, chalkboard, whiteboard, even a welcome mat, and a flat door for a school play.
Metal, acrylic or canvas: which should you choose?
It depends on the wall. A metal or acrylic print is printed straight onto a rigid panel and hangs as it is, without glass. A giclée on canvas is printed with archival pigment inks and stretched in house.
- UV print on aluminum
- Printed straight onto pearled or brushed aluminum, or white aluminum composite (Dibond), and shown without glass.
- UV print on acrylic
- Printed straight onto clear acrylic on the UV flatbed, and cut to a custom outline on the CNC table.
- UV print on wood
- Printed straight onto half-inch baltic birch plywood, or onto a flat material you bring in.
- Giclée on canvas
- Printed with archival pigment inks, stretched in house, hung as it is or in a float frame. See canvas prints.
Where do metal and acrylic prints work best?
Where glass would be a problem, or where the shape matters. A print on aluminum or acrylic hangs without glazing, and printed acrylic doubles as signage for a lobby or a showroom.
High-traffic walls
Hallways, lobbies and busy rooms, where a print without glass is one less thing to break.
Custom shapes
Rounded corners, beveled edges, routed holes and custom-shaped outlines, cut on our CNC table.
Signs and displays
Printed acrylic and Dibond are also how a lobby sign or a display gets made here.
How a print hangs is part of the conversation at the counter, and our crew installs art in and around Orange County.
The questions people ask at the counter, answered.
From what can be framed and choosing the right glass to mounting jerseys, printing artwork and protecting the pieces that matter, we answer the questions our customers ask us every day.
- What is UV printing?How UV flatbed printing puts color straight onto wood, acrylic, aluminum, tile and more, with examples from our Costa Mesa print lab.Read Article
Canvas, printed and stretched in the same buildingHow a canvas print is made and framed in one building: archival giclée, stretched in house, then hung as it is or set in a float frame. From Costa Mesa.Read Article
Scanning an original you would rather not put in the mailLarge-format scanning up to 600 dpi, checked by our digital artists: a one-of-a-kind original reproduced in Costa Mesa without leaving the building.Read Article
Laser CutterHow our laser cutter turns artwork into custom acrylic: CAD files drawn from your art or ours, cut, then printed on the back in any color. From Costa Mesa.Read Article
Metal and acrylic prints, asked at the counter.
What is a metal print?
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 ink cured by ultraviolet light as it prints.
Are metal prints better than canvas?
Neither is better everywhere. A metal print is printed straight onto a rigid aluminum panel and hangs without glass. A giclée on canvas is printed with archival pigment inks and stretched in house.
How large can a metal or acrylic print be?
Up to 60 by 96 inches on our UV flatbed, printed straight onto the panel. Larger walls can take several panels; we plan that with you at the counter.
Do metal prints fade?
Daylight fades ink over time on any print, so tell us where it will hang and we will talk through the material with you at the counter.
How are acrylic prints hung?
We talk through the mounting hardware with you at the counter when the print is ordered, and our crew installs art in and around Orange County.
How much does a metal or acrylic print cost?
We quote in person and per piece, by the size, the material and the finish. Bring the file or the original to the counter in Costa Mesa and we will quote it there.
Still wondering? Come in and ask. No appointment required.
Print and frame what you love. Visit the showroom.
No appointment required.
- Call
- (949) 791-8780
- Hours
- Mon-Fri 10am-5pm
Sat 9am-1pm
Bring us the thing you love.
Walk in with it and talk it through with a designer. No appointment required, though you are welcome to book one.
1671 Placentia AvenueCosta Mesa, CA 92627
- Call(949) 791-8780
- HoursMon-Fri 10am-5pm · Sat 9am-1pm · Sun closed
- Talk to a designer nowStart a Video CallSomeone is on the floor Mon-Fri 10am-5pm and Sat 9am-1pm, Costa Mesa time
- Book an appointmentPick a time with a designerAppointments are optional. Walk-ins are welcome.