I have a groupon for one of these at about $40 - thought it might be worth a try. Have any of you tried Gallery Direct, specifically an aluminum print? What kind of photograph works best with aluminum? The two I have in mind are these:
Try to find an image which takes advantage of the metallic nature of the substrate -- this image looks amazing printed on Kodak's metallic paper, and is the one I'd choose to experiment with if I was going to make an actual metal print.
That might work, but remember that the white part will be silvery ... in my image the lightest part is a piece of metal, in your image it's the sky, and you need to take that into account in visualizing how it will look.
Bright colors can also work -- I've also printed this on the metallic paper to good effect ...
This sounds interesting and might be nice for a b&w image. I've never seen something printed with this technology. I've been thinking about printing a few images and not sure how I want to approach it. How something displays on a monitor vs printed can be tricky.
If you go with this, let me know how it works out. I'd also be interested in the levels, contrast, etc. of your image. Do you make an image lighter before printing? Some printers will adjust this as needed but not sure you would want them messing around with your shot.
If you want a cheaper way to get an idea of how something will look on aluminum, have it printed on metallic paper. It won't be exactly the same, but you'll get the idea...
I've printed a few things in aluminum, and what has always struck me is the awesome clarity of the details, much more clean and beautiful than canvas, and I think it's superior to even good paper.
Black and white looks fantastic on brushed aluminum, color is best on white coated aluminum.
I have done an abstract print in color on brushed, and it is pretty great - but .. yes there's a but ... I think the print looked even better on white coated aluminium.
You're all helping a lot, I must say! Thanks for all the input. I did get the Groupon and it is good until June, so I have some time to play and see what might work best. I am leaning toward Shades of Gray only because the building is metal and it seems rather appropriate given the medium. Will continue to ponder, though.
What exactly does the aluminum do (besides adding rigidity) if you are printing on a white coating?
Really nice details, different, mounts nicely.
But the biggie? Durability - I've had a rich-deep black print hanging in my bathroom for over a year now - for about 10 months of that it was quite literally in the shower, in Miami.
Looks great still, no visible changes.
Also, I had some samples sent to me years ago, and I literally BEAT the hell out of them with keys and by dropping them and scuffing them around on the floor, etc. Sure, it'll do a tiny bit of damage once in a while, but for all practical purposes, I've found the durability of the prints to be second to none.
