Should I Get a Matte Metal Print or Glossy?
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Metal prints give photographers a fantastic way to showcase their photographic art in a specialty format. Metal prints look great because virtually the entire area of the enlargement is image. For the right image, this style of display is awesome.
Now that we’re getting a metal print enlargement of our photo, a natural question comes up. Should I get a matte metal print or glossy? What are the main differences of metal print glossy vs matte?
What is a Matte Metal Print?
To know the difference between a matte metal print and a glossy one, let’s describe what a matte print is in general. It may help to think about the sheen of the paint on your room walls or woodwork.
Some paint is shiny, others are not quite as shiny, and some have no shine or sheen at all. If you were to touch the different painted surfaces or get right up close to look at them, a glossy or semi-gloss paint leaves a very smooth finish. A flat finish has no discernable shine at all, and a matte finish has a slight hint of a shine and a tiny little bit of texture.
It’s similar with photographic prints. Paper prints have been made with various finishes, with glossy, semi-gloss, and matte as the three most common, though some paper makers might have several levels of sheen or shininess available. If you were to carefully examine a matte print up close, you might see a slightly textured appearance.
A matte metal print will be different from a glossy or semi-gloss metal print in pretty much the same way. Glossy metal prints will be fairly highly reflective, while a matte print on metal won’t be as shiny and will have an almost imperceptible texture to them, semi-gloss will be about halfway between the other two.
Is There a Quality Difference?
From the same printer, provided they’re using high quality photographic metal print processes, there will be no quality difference.
As an example, visit Metal Mount Prints to see the options they offer. They print on made in USA Chromaluxe aluminum panels that are about .045 inches thick in two base colors (white and clear) and 3 different finishes.
A white metal print will reproduce colors with amazing accuracy while the clear can sometimes show the metallic appearance of the substrate. The glossy clear will be the shiniest and a matte white metal print will reflect the least.
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What Type of Images Look Best as a Matte Metal Print?
It’s an aesthetic choice, white or clear, but for my personal tastes, an astronomy image or a seascape might look better on a clear print, while portraits or scenic views may look best on white.
A portrait, architectural subject, or a landscape will probably look best with the white Chromaluxe aluminum leaving the choice of glossy, semi-gloss, or matte metal prints to decide on.
Another way to decide is that bright, deep, contrasty, or vibrant colors might benefit more from glossy, while black and white images, mountain or desert scenery, and a still life would likely look great as a matte metal print.
Display Options for Matte Metal Prints
How the enlargements are displayed will also play a role in our considerations on whether to print shiny or matte metal prints. Since glossy reflects a lot and matte doesn’t, the lighting and display areas and other decor in a room may help us decide.
A matte metal print is going to be easier to view for certain styles of photography and subjects, while the artsy impact of a glossy metal print has a different type of appeal. The semi-gloss finish is about halfway between glossy and matte metal prints in reflectivity.
As another display option, Metal Mouth Prints makes an easy-to-change framing system called éZi mount that lets you vary how you display several metal enlargements. You could have a couple of different enlargements, some glossy and some matte metal prints, and this framing system will give you options of changing what print goes where.
The way you have your images printed - matte metal prints, glossy, or semi-gloss - you will enjoy how amazing metal enlargements make your fine art photography look when displayed.