Metal print versus Thinwrap

kaz

I ordered my first set of prints to explore the various print media offered by SmugMug (via BayPhoto). I'd like to share my observations and determine if others have the same opinion. Finally, I'd like to ask for suggestions in terms of which media options might work best for various types of photos.

I ordered simple 4x6 prints in each of the finishes (lustre, glossy, metallic) as a baseline. The metallic prints are incredible and have that WOW factor when looking at the print in hand. In particular, high contrast black and white images look awesome in metallic. In addition, I ordered a 4x6 Metal Print (aluminum) as well as a 8x12 Thinwrap (metallic paper print w/ satin finish). Here is a photo of the products (clockwise from top: 4x6 metal aluminum print, 4x6 metallic paper print, 4x6 metallic paper print, 8x12 thinwrap):




4x6 Metal Print comments:

• Overall impression is good
• Construction quality is excellent, it's amazing how light it is
• Color is excellent, feels richer to me, but it was only a duotone
• High gloss finish is nice and makes it pop
• Sharpness is okay. It is noticeably softer than the baseline prints. This is my only criticism. I imagine this is due to the dye-infusing process used to print on the aluminum. Can anyone else confirm this? Do you find the metal prints to be "soft"? Below are two crops (left is metal aluminum print, right is metallic paper print, ignore the color differences as they aren't nearly as drastic as it appears).

8x12 Thinwrap comments:

• Overall impression is okay/good (see below)
• Construction quality is excellent
• Color is somewhat muted compared to the baseline prints, print almost looks like it was painted
• Satin finish is completely glare resistant (see image below), but at the cost of making the image dull and flat, which is impossible to tell in the image below (take my word for it). Even though thinwraps are printed on metallic paper, there is no wow factor. In fact, with this particular photo, the satin finish makes it my least favorite of the prints I ordered. The finish does, however, feel great to the touch, not that you touch your prints often.
• Sharpness is excellent

Do those comments resonate with your own experiences? I really want to like the thinwrap, but I struggle due to, what I believe is, the satin finish. The metal print would be the clear winner if it were only sharper. So I'm torn in terms of which I want to recommend to people. Perhaps it was my choice of image to print on each medium? Do you have any recommendations in terms of what types of images look on each?

Overall,I love the paper metallic prints the best, but I want something that is ready to hang. I'm wondering if a thinwrap with metallic paper and a glossy finish might give me what I'm looking for. Unfortunately, I can't order that via SmugMug directly so that's out of the question.

I would appreciate feedback from those that have actually seen both a SmugMug thinwrap and metal print.

Thanks!
Pete

kaz

So it's been a few days now, and I think I can see the appeal of the thinwrap giving its immunity to glare. It's been hanging on the wall and it can always be seen no matter how the window light lands on it. I like the punch of the metal print a lot.

Would love to hear feedback from others in terms of the two products. Specifically, do you think the metal prints are soft in comparison to other large display formats (canvas wraps, thinwraps)? And any thoughts on the thinwrap satin finish?

Thank you,
Pete

kevingeary

kaz wrote: »

So it's been a few days now, and I think I can see the appeal of the thinwrap giving its immunity to glare. It's been hanging on the wall and it can always be seen no matter how the window light lands on it. I like the punch of the metal print a lot.

Would love to hear feedback from others in terms of the two products. Specifically, do you think the metal prints are soft in comparison to other large display formats (canvas wraps, thinwraps)? And any thoughts on the thinwrap satin finish?

Thank you,
Pete

I have seen the metal prints and was very pleased. I can't really comment on the sharpness as I didn't have another print to compare it to. I've never seen a thinwrap, so I can't comment.