Please see the details and guidelines below for the specific information on each lab's metal print offerings.
Mpix and MpixPro powered by Miller's Lab Metal Prints
Mpix and MpixPro powered by Miller's Lab's metal prints are printed on brushed aluminum.
MpixPro powered by Miller's Lab offers two different base colors: White and Clear. Both are amazing and provide uniqueness to your artwork.
- White Base: This adds a white base layer to the metal with the image printed on top of the white base. Choosing a White Base for your print creates a fresh, bright appearance allowing all the details of your image to shine through with crystal clear precision.This allows for the most accurate and vibrant color representation.
- Clear Base: With the clear base, the image is printed directly on the metal. This allows some of the metal to shine through the image. Choosing a Metal Base allows the natural metal color and texture to come through. This adds an iridescent sheen and an ethereal glow to any image and is perfect for the person who appreciates the raw beauty of the metal.
MpixPro powered by Miller's Lab offers three different kinds of metal print products:
- MpixPro powered by Miller's Lab Metal Prints are printed on metal but is raised 1 inch from the wall with metal sides. It has a similar shape and depth as a 1 inch canvas wrap except it is made of metal instead of canvas. It arrives ready to hang.
- MpixPro powered by Miller's Lab Vivid Metal prints which are printed on a 1/16" inch thick sheet of aluminum. A metal easel style mount or a floating wall mount are available display options included in the cost of the print.
- MpixPro powered by Miller's Lab Metal Murals splits the image into a grid of 11.7" brushed aluminum tiles. Each mural is held together with silver snap rings and includes brackets for easy assembly and wall mounting.
Mpix offers one metal print option.
- Modern Metals are printed on a thin sheet of aluminum. Images are printed using a dye-sublimation process to create a stunning finished product. Unlike MpixPro powered by Miller's Lab's metal offerings, they do not come with base color options.
For all metal prints, the surface of the metal print will vary due to the nature of the material. Please allow for minor imperfections.
Ensuring a Quality Mpix or MpixPro powered by Miller's Lab Metal Print
Unlike photographic prints, it is highly recommended that the images be specifically edited for printing on metal. As the photographer, you can choose to edit the images as needed before uploading them to Zenfolio.
Alternatively, you can use the Pending Order Approval process to review all orders before they are sent to the lab for printing. During the Pending Order Approval process, you can replace the images in the order with versions of the images that have been edited specifically for printing on metal.
Mpix and MpixPro powered by Miller's Lab's minimum resolution requirement for metal prints is 100 pixels per inch.
During the sublimation process used to print metal prints, image colors can appear darker and lose some contrast. In order to counteract this effect, Mpix and MpixPro powered by Miller's Lab suggests these actions be taken with the images:
- Flatten the image to remove unnecessary layers
- Increase the brightness by 15 (based on Photoshop's brightness adjustment)
- Increase the contrast by 30 (based on Photoshop's contrast adjustment - less is required when printing on the white base)
Also please note that proper lighting is critical for the best display of this product.
Zenfolio US Aluminum Art
Zenfolio US offers one metal print product. Our Aluminum Art prints are printed on a thin piece of aluminum with rounded corners. They are offered in a variety of sizes.
Zenfolio US offers two different base options; Chromaluxe White Aluminum and Chromaluxe Clear Aluminum
- Chromaluxe White Aluminum Your images will take on a brilliant, vibrant, luminescent quality when printed on Chromaluxe White Aluminum. Using a dye-sublimation process, the inks are infused directly into the specially coated Chromaluxe aluminum sheets, using high temperature and pressure. The result is a vibrant color, durable prints without glass, waterproof imaging solution.
- Chromaluxe Clear Aluminum Printing your images on Chromaluxe Clear Aluminum enables you to see the brushed aluminum panel through the print. This means you will be able to see the aluminum in any areas that are normally white to low middle grey. The High Gloss finish will enhance your image. We use a dye-sublimation process where the inks are infused directly into the specially coated Chromaluxe aluminum sheets, using high temperature and pressure.
Ensuring a Quality Zenfolio US Aluminum Art Print
Unlike photographic prints, it is highly recommended that the images be specifically edited for printing on metal. As the photographer, you can choose to edit the images as needed before uploading them to Zenfolio. Alternatively, you can use the Pending Order Approval process to review all orders before they are sent to the lab for printing. During the Pending Order Approval process, you can replace the images in the order with versions of the images that have been edited specifically for printing on metal.
When editing photos in Adobe Photoshop, it is recommend that the image layer be duplicated or the adjustments made to a new adjustment layer so that the original image is retained and remains available in its unedited form.
Recommendations when printing on White Chromaluxe panels.
- Make sure that the image is sharp and in focus.
- Recommended Photoshop sharpening settings (using Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask)
- Preview On (Toggling Preview back and forth shows you results immediately)
- Amount: 150 (Controls how much sharpening is applied)
- Radius 1.5 (The Radius sets the width of the haloes around the image edges).
- Threshold: 10 (A small Threshold sharpens everything; A large Threshold sharpens nothing)
- Make sure that the image has been color corrected to ensure accurate color reproduction.
- The image should be color corrected using the lab's printer's ICC profile.
- Make the adjustments using a color calibrated monitor.
- Make sure that the image is not over or underexposed.
- Recommended Photoshop brightness settings (using Image>Adjustments>Brightness/Contrast)
- Start out with a 50 Brightness and 50 Contrast then adjust sliders as you see fit.
- This should be performed on a color calibrated monitor.
- Recommended Photoshop Levels settings (Image>Adjustments>Levels).
- Open Levels, you'll see a histogram with three sliders directly below (Black is Shadows; Gray is Midtones; White is Highlights).
- Start moving the white slider towards the middle to gain highlights
- Then move the gray slider towards the white slider to adjust the midtones or gamma
- Move the black slider towards the gray slider to add contrast
Recommendations when printing on Clear Chromaluxe panels
When printed on Clear Chromaluxe, color images reproduce with muted colors. Any white or light areas in an image printed on clear coat will allow the grain and color of the aluminum to show through. This creates a cool metallic effect that sort of becomes holographic when the light shifts from dark to light.
The recommended types of images/photography that work best with Clear Chromaluxe include:
- Black and White
- High contrast landscape images
- Color or Black and White non-human images (e.g. architecture, vehicles, landscapes)
The important thing is to stay away from dark or mostly black images as the metallic texture will not show through
Recommended Adobe Photoshop adjustments when printing color images on Clear Chromaluxe
- Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation
- The middle slider is the saturation slider. Move right to increase saturation.
Additional recommended image setup in Photoshop
- Edit> Color Settings> Working Spaces:RGB: Adobe 1998
- Edit> Color Settings> Color Management Policies: RGB: Convert to Working RGB
- Edit> Color Settings> Conversion option (turn on "more options" button in right column)
Additional recommended image setup in Adobe (ACE)
- Perceptual (all checked boxes)