Best place to get high quality black & white exhibition prints, UK?

[Adarsha]

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Hiya everyone.

 

I'm nearing the end of my degree and preparing a book, plus need to get exhibition prints made.

 

They need to be archive / exhibition quality print in Black and White. I'm thinking 20" x 30" on aluminium. The photographs are more about landscapes than people.

 

Does anyone have any recommendations? Any experience of good printers?

 

Any tips, or pitfalls you've come across personally and are willing to share?

 

Any thoughts on types of paper - but not high gloss. I've been looking at FujiFilm, C-Type, Crystal Archive Pearl and Crystal Archive Lustre. I've tried the Hahnemuhle photo rag, and Baryta but really don't like these.

 

This is my first ever experience of having prints made like this, although I've printed at uni and at home, so any advice would be very welcome.

 

I need to order the prints next week in time for the exhibition. I have obviously researched some names, but am keen to know what people recommend.

 

Thank you ... Adarsha

[andybarton]

Have a look at http://en-de.whitewall.com/

 

I have been very pleased with large prints and canvases from them, and they mount onto aluminium.

[Adarsha]

Thanks Andy, I'll take a look now...

[bill]

I'd second Whitewall; very happy.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[Paul J]

Oh, Whitewall looks good. Thanks for this!

[Paul J]

Has anyone tried the direct on aluminium or acrylic options?

[andybarton]

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No, but I have two large canvases in our bedroom from them and several mounted and framed prints in b&w and colour. I cannot fault their output, service, packaging, etc. I have no reason to believe that their aluminium product wouldn't be just as good. They advertise in LFI regularly.

 

If they like what you do, they will put it in their "market" and sell prints etc on your behalf. That's the theory, anyway.

 

Whitewall - Andy Barton in the Art Market

[Ted Lemon]

I have my inkjet B&W and Colour exhibition prints produced by Chau Digital in Clarkenwell - : Chaudigital: Digital Imaging Solutions - using their Da Vinci Arcihval Matt paper, and have them mounted by AJ Bliss (also in Clarkenwell). If you go for aluminium backing then you will require (in my experience) a ciba type print not inkjet.

[Adarsha]

Does anyone have any feedback on The Printspace, or Spectrum please??

[Paul J]

I had a terrible experience at Printspace. More than one actually. Hit and miss results, mainly miss. Unhelpful, uncaring, and really quite rude staff too cool to help their customers. Shame. It's a good idea in theory.

 

I don't have time to mess about with budget labs. They almost always at some stage prove more costly and not just in terms of money. I am yet to find a service and product that tops Metro Imaging. I've been using them for 10 years now. More expensive, yes, but worth every penny and the staff are professionals, experts and treat you well.

[Bill Allsopp]

Has anyone tried the direct on aluminium or acrylic options?

The acrylic is superb, I have a 20x30" on the wall in front of me now.

[Paul J]

Thanks Bill, the idea sure sounds wonderful.

 

I'm yet to see it printed direct on to Acrylic. Does it still look like a photographic print? Would a photographic print mounted behind acrylic look the same or better?

 

I've just moved home and have some big walls to fill!

[topoxforddoc]

Probably the best black and white traditional printer is Robin Bell.

[Adarsha]

I had a terrible experience at Printspace. More than one actually. Hit and miss results, mainly miss. Unhelpful, uncaring, and really quite rude staff too cool to help their customers. Shame. It's a good idea in theory.

 

I don't have time to mess about with budget labs. They almost always at some stage prove more costly and not just in terms of money. I am yet to find a service and product that tops Metro Imaging. I've been using them for 10 years now. More expensive, yes, but worth every penny and the staff are professionals, experts and treat you well.

 

 

 

Hmm, interesting. Previous students have used them and had pretty awesome prints back from them on aluminium, plus the lecturers seem to validate using them. Printspace are certainly NOT cheap. I wonder, would you mind elaborating a little more about the type of print you had them do? Size of your print with them, what paper did you choose, black and white or colour, and colour space... was your screen calibrated to meet their .icc. profiling? etc...

 

Sorry if this sounds like I'm nitpicking... but I'm about to spend around £350 to £500 on prints. I really don't have time or money to get this wrong, have a deadline to meet. Thanks ...

[Bill Allsopp]

Thanks Bill, the idea sure sounds wonderful.

 

I'm yet to see it printed direct on to Acrylic. Does it still look like a photographic print? Would a photographic print mounted behind acrylic look the same or better?

 

I've just moved home and have some big walls to fill!

I had an original print under acrylic glass, the file was about 4000 px across and I had it printed 30x20". I did wonder about dpi etc. before I ordered but trusted them when they said it would print twice that size and they were right. It looks stunning. Yes it is still a photo but the acrylic finish gives it real presence.

[Adarsha]

Oh, yes, I should have said at the beginning... this is printing from digital, not film.

[Paul J]

Hmm, interesting. Previous students have used them and had pretty awesome prints back from them on aluminium, plus the lecturers seem to validate using them. Printspace are certainly NOT cheap. I wonder, would you mind elaborating a little more about the type of print you had them do? Size of your print with them, what paper did you choose, black and white or colour, and colour space... was your screen calibrated to meet their .icc. profiling? etc...

 

Sorry if this sounds like I'm nitpicking... but I'm about to spend around £350 to £500 on prints. I really don't have time or money to get this wrong, have a deadline to meet. Thanks ...

 

I have edited my post as I don't want to be bitchy.

 

The point is their prints were poor and one particularly rude staff member blamed me and everything I was in control of rather than stop and look at the situation at hand which was certainly something wrong with their system. Yes my system is colour managed and calibrated (Nec Spectraview). I soft proofed and converted with their profiles. I even tried hiring their workspaces and found it did not match their output. I don't have this problem at other labs or in the magazines and billboards that my work is printed on and in.

 

Needless to say I won't be trying them again and I wouldn't wish that service and experience on anyone I know. This was over a year ago and things may very well have changed. If you want to try them do your self a favour and leave enough time and prepare for some test prints.

 

Prints may look ok to you but that doesn't mean they look as they are intended and I would suggest asking those that you know who have used them recently if the prints matched their files and expectations.

 

If you are wondering about a solid recommendation, then from me, that would be Metro Imaging who have had all my business without fault or complaint for the past 10 years.

[Adarsha]

I have edited my post as I don't want to be bitchy.

 

The point is their prints were poor and one particularly rude staff member blamed me and everything I was in control of rather than stop and look at the situation at hand which was certainly something wrong with their system. Yes my system is colour managed and calibrated (Nec Spectraview). I soft proofed and converted with their profiles. I even tried hiring their workspaces and found it did not match their output. I don't have this problem at other labs or in the magazines and billboards that my work is printed on and in.

 

Needless to say I won't be trying them again and I wouldn't wish that service and experience on anyone I know. This was over a year ago and things may very well have changed. If you want to try them do your self a favour and leave enough time and prepare for some test prints.

 

Prints may look ok to you but that doesn't mean they look as they are intended and I would suggest asking those that you know who have used them recently if the prints matched their files and expectations.

 

If you are wondering about a solid recommendation, then from me, that would be Metro Imaging who have had all my business without fault or complaint for the past 10 years.

 

 

Thank you Paul. I got an email with the comments you made in your earlier post. It told me what I needed to hear, thank you. I really appreciate your honesty, that is exactly what I was hoping for. Maybe they have improved since your experience, let's hope that they have. Personally, I do not appreciate poor customer service either. Sadly, there are far too many businesses in the UK that do not set out to give the customer the service they are paying for, and it is our business that pays their wages. I have to say, I would have been upset by the lack of customer care if this had happened to me - you paid for a service, they should have got it right and bent over backwards to get it right and keep your return business, but they failed.

 

I do not have a great deal of time to order my prints, the order needs to be in within the next week really, two weeks at the very most and that would be getting rather close to the exhibition date. I had thought of getting some test prints done, may still do this if I can manage the time factor well enough.

 

I understand the problem of calibration, my Mac screens are calibrated with ColorMunki, the screens in college are 'apparently' calibrated too, but the prints made there are not accurate. I always have to re-edit my files before printing but, I have enough issues with the technician there as it is, and have complained about lack or professionalism - to no avail. Annoying = yes! Anyway, that is why I will not print my final prints at college, plus I want them professionally mounted which is impossible to do well yourself without it looking totally amateurish.

 

I am a bit of a stickler for good service, professionalism and integrity. I'm too old to put up with mediocrity, things have to be done right.

 

Again, thanks for your honesty, I really do appreciate it. I shall look a little closer at Metro Imaging now.

 

PS I have run a successful (not photography) business and the best way of building business is by personal recommendation. It goes miles above any costly advertising. Your recommendation means a lot.