What's the deal with "Epic Metal Prints"?

Warning: If you’re not a “Seinfeld aficionado”, I suggest you move directly to the bolded paragraph beginning “Metal Prints”.

So do you remember the Seinfeld episode that starts out with Jerry, Elaine, Kramer and George sitting in their favorite booth at Monk’s coffee shop and Jerry asks, “So what’s the deal with Epic Metal Prints?”  

Elaine plunges a fork into the middle of her Big Salad and says, “Why are we talking about Epic Metal Prints?

Jerry sighs, “Oh, I met this gorgeous woman named Sidra at a gallery opening last night and all she could talk about was photography on Epic Metal Prints. I think I did a decent job of faking my way through the conversation but we have a date tomorrow and I’m worried she might want to expand on the topic.  I can only throw around aperture nda shutter speed so many times.”

George bites into his tuna salad on rye and in mid-chew ponders, “You know, I feel very comfortable telling women I’m an architect… Architect… it just rolls off my tongue…”

Then, waving his sandwich in midair, adds, “but this photography thing, you’re giving me a back-up plan… just in case the woman I’ve met is an architect herself… I switch gears and voila, I’m a photographer! You can never be too creative… women love creative types…”

That’s when Jerry slowly puts down his cup of coffee and smirks, “But then you’d actually have to show her your portfolio…”

George tosses up his hands as Elaine says, “I believed Kramer when he said he could take a good photograph and look what that got me…”

Kramer cringes with embarrassment. Trying to shift the gears, he replies, “But back to your question Jerry.  Everybody knows about Epic Metal Prints… they’re EPIC!”

Jerry scoffs, “Yeah, thanks for the valuable insight, Ansel Adams.”

Elaine volunteers, “I’ll ask Mr. Peterman tomorrow morning. Traveling all over the world like he has, I’m sure he’s seen an Epic Metal Print or two.  

Then out of nowhere, Jackie Chiles walks in the front door. Kramer waves him over to their booth and asks, “Hey Jackie, you’re a smart guy, what can you tell us about Epic Metal Prints?”

Jackie smiles and then, beaming ear to ear, exclaims, “Boy do I know a thing or two about Epic Metal Prints.  They’re real and they are SPECTACULAR!”

       

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Seinfeld aside, buying photographs on my website is easy.  The hard part is deciding which one (or ones) you would most like to have!  Your next big decision is choosing the print surface. I offer four choices including Canvas, Photographic Paper, Metal and Epic Metal.  Canvas and Photographic Paper are pretty self-explanatory but I regularly get the question, “What’s the difference between a Metal Print and an Epic Metal Print?”

Metal Prints
So here goes… Truth be told, Metal Prints are not “printed”.  A Metal Print is made by placing a regular photographic print on top of a piece of aluminum that has been specially treated with dyes. Heat is then used to press the photograph onto this piece of treated aluminum.  The heating process infuses the dyes into the metal, creating the photograph. This process is technically called dye sublimation - and that’s what gives you a metal print.  An inset frame is then mounted to the back of the metal allowing the photograph to hang 3/4's of an inch from the wall.

Epic Metal Prints
An Epic Metal Print, on the other hand, is printed on a special type of photography paper called Fuji Flex Archival paper at 600 dpi (versus a 300 dpi resolution which is standard for most photographic prints).   The higher resolution enhances the depth of the photograph as well as providing an even sharper image.  The high gloss print is then mounted on a piece of metal and sealed.  The same inset frame is mounted on the back of the metal, again allowing the photograph to hang 3/4's of an inch from the wall.  

So what does all of this really mean?
Big picture (pardon the pun), Epic Metal Prints have a similar look to Metal Prints.  
Technically, the greatest difference is color gamut, specifically when it comes to the color green. (Color gamut describes a range of colors within the spectrum of colors.) The ability to discern additional shades of green provides for greater richness and a more vivid and true photograph. Last time I looked, green is a predominant color in most golf course landscape photographs.  

The higher resolution of the Fuji Flex archival paper sharpens the image and provides increased depth to the photograph. To be perfectly honest some of my photographs definitely lend themselves better to the Epic Metal Print process and I have guided people in that direction with particular shots.