The Best Fine Art Print Mediums Explained

The Best Fine Art Print Mediums Explained

These days, you can have your photographs printed onto almost anything. Care to see your photos printed on a natural plank of wood freshly cut from a tree? No problem. A slab of cold steel? You betcha. How about a t-shirt, coffee cup or a backpack? Consider it done my friend. In fact, you can have it printed onto sequins, that when brushed in the opposite direction, reveal a kaleidoscope of metallic rainbows. Now you know you want to see that! Printing technologies have come a very long way in recent decades providing new and exciting opportunities for both artists and art collectors alike, but which of the mediums available are the best of the best? Keep reading to learn more starting with the more traditional and least expensive option, through a solid mid range choice and ultimately to what I believe is the very best your money can buy.

The Window | Mesa Arch Canyonlands, Utah | Aaron Reed
Transform your space with Aaron Reed's luxury fine art photography print, The Window, from his Panoramic Wall Art collection. Order yours today! Fine Art Limited Edition of 100

1. FujiFlex Crystal Archive Super Gloss | Traditional Photographic Paper Prints

What is FujiFlex Super Gloss? FujiFlex is a silver-halide digital photographic paper with a polyester-based coating. The Fuji website describes it as "A white polyester-based material for use with conventional and laser printers, FujiFlex Crystal Archive Printing Material produces rich image color and pure whites, with exceptional surface gloss and flatness." While there are many high quality fine art photographic papers available today, FujiFlex Super Gloss is my personal choice out of all photographic papers due to the high gloss surface and visual depth provided by the polyester-based surface material inherent of this print medium. Visually, the best way I can describe this paper is that it has the appearance of being wet due to the incredible high gloss surface.

FujiFlex is typically either framed traditionally, or face mounted to acrylic glass prior to being displayed. It is absolutely critical that some type of substrate be used to mount the print prior to framing. The reflective high gloss properties of Flex are absolutely gorgeous, but if hinge mounted or taped without any flat surface substrate prior to framing, the high gloss surface shows ripples in the paper that stick out like a sore thumb in changing light. For this reason alone, I have all of my SuperGloss prints mounted to 2mm styrene prior to shipping to my customers. I have experienced far too many subpar frame shops ruin prints trying to frame these pieces without dry mounting them first. I offer loose FujiFlex photographic paper prints in sizes ranging from 16x24 to 30x45.

SuperNova

Nebulas of scarlet stars erupt from the twisted branches of an old Japanese maple in a garden in Portland, Oregon. A brilliant flash of fire, the autumn boughs make the surrounding beds of moss seem almost to glow. Fine Art Limited Edition of 200.

For many years, FujiFlex SuperGloss prints that had been face-mounted to acrylic glass were the go-to choice of high end photography galleries around the world. Many galleries still produce and sell face mounted Flex prints as their premium product. Face mounting Flex can be very challenging, as a single speck of dust or dirt adhering to the polyester surface will ruin the print when mounted. This is a very costly error at any size but especially so in large gallery level sizes of 45" or larger. Because of these challenges and the high operating and material costs, there are a limited number of consumer print shops who produce face mounted Flex prints.

While one of the most expensive photographic papers available, this type of print (prior to being face-mounted) is still far less costly than a finished, ready to hang metal or acrylic face-mounted print. The downside of course is that photographic paper prints like FujiFlex need to be mounted to some form of substrate and framed prior to being displayed. Especially true with larger photographic prints greater than 30" wide, this additional cost of mounting and framing brings the final cost up to or even in some cases surpassing the cost of a finished metal or acrylic print. I would much rather see my customers spend their hard earned money on larger, higher quality artwork then to dump needless costs into expensive eternal framing.

Royalty | Mountains & Meadows Photography | Aaron Reed


2. ChromaLuxe Metal Prints

A relatively new technology, sublimation prints produced with ChromaLuxe panels are a favorite of many photographers. ChromaLuxe has created a state-of-the-art coating that allows for images to be infused directly onto sheets of metal or wood. This means that fine art, photos and more can be displayed virtually anywhere with more vibrancy, more clarity and a longer life than any other print medium. They are fade, water and scratch resistant. ChromaLuxe prints are also lightweight and are produced with a float mount arriving ready to hang with no additional framing required.

The combination of all of these benefits is the reason I primarily recommend ChromaLuxe Metal Prints to my business clients. When artwork may come in contact with the general public, the durability of ChromaLuxe is unsurapassed and the lightweight nature of this material makes display and transportation a breeze, even for non-professionals.

Chromaluxe Metal prints are the brightest of all of the fine art print mediums I offer, when no external light source is used. For artwork that will be displayed in a dim or low light environment, Chromaluxe Metal Prints are the perfect choice.

Sublimation printing utilizes heat and pressure to transfer images directly into the surface of an object, bonding images to the substrate at the molecular level. Armed with decades of engineering experience and manufacturing prowess, ChromaLuxe developed a proprietary polymer-based coating that ensures that each of their panels is protected from harmful UV rays and scratches so that art remains vibrant and vivid. Chromaluxe substrates are proudly Made in The USA, engineered and manufactured in Louisville, Kentucky.

At one point, Chromaluxe Metal prints were the primary offering for my fine art photography print clients. Today, along with Acrylic Face Mounted Photography Prints, my Limited Edition Chromaluxe Metal Prints can be found in thousands of homes and businesses around the world.

The Empire

Iron columns of antique stone jut from the turquoise waters of Studlagil Canyon in Iceland. On their faces, the strange, geometric pillars bear the scars of millennia of erosion, chronicling the evolution of the very land itself. Fine Art Limited Edition of 50.

A bubbled baubled wall of cerulean ice refracts the murky rays of the sun’s warmth like the core of a giant sapphire. Veins...
Blue Thunder

3. Lumachrome & FujiFlex TruLife Acrylic Fine Art Prints

The most luxurious gallery quality pieces that I offer are Trulife® Acrylic Fine Art prints, produced with Lumachome, FujiFlex and Metallic True Photographic Papers. These gallery quality Fine Art Prints are unmatched in handcrafted artistry and visual excellence. Each photographic print is incapsulated between a crystal clear acrylic base layer and museum grade Trulife® acrylic glass. TruLife® is a crystal clear, scratch resistant and non-reflective acrylic glass that allows exacting detail and vibrancy to shine through without distraction. This masterly crafted work of art is now thoroughly isolated from all elemental damage.

This mounted fine art print is then finished with a recessed float mount on the reverse, creating a ready to hang piece of unrivaled quality and exquisite beauty. Each print is crafted by hand, inspected and polished leaving a lasting brilliance and shine with no detail overlooked. This process offers a clean, gallery-quality presentation and modern look that will dramatically enhance any private home or business facility.

Morning Fire

A chill dawn sets the sky alight behind the bristled silhouettes of a stand of cedar and fir. A ghostly mist hangs over the mirror-like surface of the lake, cloaking the shore in a veil of lavender. Fine Art Limited Edition of 50.

Fine Art prints produced this way show incredible visual depth and an almost 3d quality full of high definition details, beautiful tonal transitions and incredibly vibrant colors. Light that falls across and reflects off of the face of artwork is visually "trapped" within the acrylic glass and when properly lit, appears to be illuminated or back-lit. Lumachrome, FujiFlex & Metallic TruLife Acrylic prints have a silver, almost pearl-like luminescence that adds to the overall luxury feel of these incredible pieces. As various qualities of changing light fall across the walls of your home, the luminescence of the art changes as well, bringing the work to life before your very eyes.

A step above Chromaluxe Metal Prints, the visual quality and level of detail showcased in a face mounted Acrylic Fine Art print produced with TruLife Acrylic Glass is second to none. You can be assured that your photographic art has been produced using the highest quality materials the world has to offer and will be stunning visually and showcased in the most luxurious way possible.

Today, all of my acrylic face mounted prints are produced with TruLife Anti-Reflective Acrylic Glass. This revolutionary product delivers the highest-resolution viewing experience of photographic artwork available today. With incredible depth and clarity, TruLife is the best way to show high end art. TruLife features a single-sided virtually invisible anti-reflective coating allowing viewers to see the finest details of the print without the hinderance of glare. TruLife also is UV-filtering, abrasion resistant, and anti-static offering uncompromising protection and preservation.

These FujiFlex SuperGloss & Lumachrome TruLife Acrylic prints make up the large majority of the work that I sell and are far more beautiful in person than I can describe using words. They truly need to be seen to be appreciated.

The Mountains Call

There is no question why they call it colorful Colorado as dappled light and dreamy clouds drift over the top of the San Juan Mountains outside Ridgway, Colorado. Fine Art Limited Edition of 50.

I have been truly blessed to be able to build a career from my photography. For a decade now I have been producing the highest quality limited edition fine art photography prints money can buy and have thousands of collectors of my work worldwide. I invite you to learn more about my work and what sets it apart from other nature and landscape photographers. The level of service and personal attention I offer to collectors of my work is unmatched in the fine art photography industry.

I hope you have enjoyed this summary of the worlds best photographic print mediums available today. If you are interested in the fine art prints that I offer and have other questions not added in this article, please feel free to connect with me directly through my website.

Autumn Branches

Branches like arteries stretch in every direction providing the nutrients of life to the leaves of this Aspen tree in Ridgway, Colorado. Fine Art Limited Edition of 50.