A Photo Finish (Or Why I Love Metal Prints)

By: Jessie Parker

There are so many ways to display your photos today that it can be really hard to decide the best one for your home. Perhaps like me, you’ve experimented with a lot of different trends- Canvases, various unframed mounting techniques, not to mention loads of different styles of framing. And that’s not even considering all the different printing methods and finishes. My new favorite way to showcase my work is with metal prints. If you haven’t seen them yet, it’s time to get excited! I could go on and on about their various advantages, but one of the best things about them, in my opinion, is that they go with just about everything. They have a wonderful contemporary look as a single large scale print, a cluster of smaller prints of a single subject, or a collage of various unrelated images. But don’t write them off as just for homes with modern decor! The good news is, you don’t have to confine yourself to just one style, even within one room. I’ve included them on walls with framed photos, canvases, and other bits of art and the contrast in texture is very exciting!

When ordering a metal print, I usually choose photos with the most intensely saturated colors, because I know they will be that much more vibrant on metal. Black and white images can be dazzling on metal too.There really is no wrong photo for a metal print.

They’re available in a wide variety of sizes and shapes and several different mounting styles. My favorite is the Wall Float because I like how metal prints look when they have some separation from the wall. I usually order the Glossy White finish because it shows off colors with the greatest intensity, but all of the finishes are interesting in their own way. It’s hard to effectively describe the differences, but you can click HERE and scroll down to step seven to see what’s available.

I really have to point out how cost effective metal prints are. For one thing, while they’re not as inexpensive as a traditional paper print, they don’t require framing, so they can actually be much cheaper when you consider the price of custom frames. Second, they’re extremely durable and color fast. They don’t fade in the sun the way a paper print will over time. Also, they’re very easy to clean. You can even write on them with a dry erase marker and they wipe right off! Last year I actually had a metal print made as a custom dry erase board and gave it to my parents as a gift. They were delighted with both the quality and the novelty of it. In fact, that gives me another idea- I’ll take a headshot of my 4-year-old on a white background, order it as an 11×14 or maybe even a 16×20, and mount it on his bedroom wall, so he can draw silly hair and mustaches on his face! He’ll love that. Yay!

Check out Printique’s metal prints.