Metal Prints, Good, Bad or Ugly....

[Light Guru]

There are two options I've seen for metal prints one is where the metal is coated in white and the image is out on it and the second is where the image is put directly onto the metallic surface.

The second option is the one I love. Helps give an almost 3D look to the image.

[Tin Can]

I am getting 5 different surface treatments in a discount sample sample pack of the same image.

The test image is not the one I posted.

For the image I posted I want the most glossy silver effect.

[Alan Gales]

Adorama offers metal prints where your whites are white or your whites are the aluminum finish coming through. I think the aluminum coming through may be interesting for b&w prints. You will probably need to hang it in a bright or well lit area because it would look darker than the white.

A friend of mine who shoots landscapes had a metal print done locally and he told me that he really liked it. I have not seen one yet so I am real interested in what you think, Randy!

[James515]

And there is this too. http://moabpaper.com/slickrock-metallic/

Haven't tried it, has anyone?


"Stare. It's the way to educate your eyes. Pry, Listen, Eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long." Walker Evans

[JWebb]

Tried the Moab Slickrock in both the silver and Pearl finishes, with both scanned 4x5 and with digital images from the D800. Printed both b&w and color images using the Epson 3800.
Did not care for the silver finish. Much too reflective, difficult to evaluate the print as any change in viewing angle would change the reflectance. At some angles most of the print would be lost in a reflective glare. Also didn't care for the highly metallic silver highlights.
The pearl finish was actually very nice, little bit of pop and vibrance, nice saturation and contrast without being garish, also absence are the reflective problems I encountered with Slickrock Silver. Nice for scenes with bold colors, autumn landscapes as well as b&w. Would not be my paper of choice for a intimate portrait or any image that needed a more delicate or subtle presentation.
Had problems trying to soft proof both these papers, the supplied profiles did require a little tuning to get the desired results.

[Mark Sawyer]

I wonder how a tintype scan would look printed on metal... Has anyone seen one?

[matthew blais]

I bought a lens from Ken Merfeld (http://merfeldcollodion.com/) some years ago and he was getting metal prints of his wet plates done and they looked very very similar to the original

[Mark Sawyer]

Thanks, Matthew! I'm going to have to try it sometime...

[Tin Can]

iPod snap of 5-5X7 sample metal prints.

Even in this bad snapshot there is noticeable contrast and exposure differences, which hide the surface differences. The file was specified 'do not correct' and was their 'bargain' sample package...

The Bean 12x12" high gloss metal print looks great on my wall so I got what I wanted.

I going to put one of the samples in the south window and see how it holds up compared to stored in dark in a year.

1-5 metal samples by moe.randy, on Flickr

[James515]

JWebb, Thanks, that helps, doubt I'll try the paper.