For my prints, I started looking at DS Colour Labs, a company I have used before. I looked at their printing options, and the costs. I wanted to make sure that they would be able to create the right size for me, and give a professional look.
The style that stood out for me, was the Aluminium Print Panels. 'how your images to great effect by mounting them to aluminium di-bond print panels. They feature a black polymer centre sandwiched between two aluminium sheets with a usual thickness of 3mm. The panels are perfectly smooth with a sleek, clean cut look making for a very contemporary, minimal look on which to showcase your images. All the panels come complete with wall fixing attachments, so all you need to do is decide where to put it. Available in standard sizes ranging from 8" x 6" - 24” x 36”.
But unfortunately, they did not create a small enough size for my work. The smallest portrait sized print is 8x6, which I could have used, but over all would be an extra 20 inches for my images.
Another option would be mounting images onto MDF. I found a company called Spectrum, a company I have never heard of before, that creates MDF prints to size. Block mounting to 12mm MDF can create simple and effective displays for C-type prints (not recomended for Giclée prints). The edges are painted either black or white and are most commonly hung with 9mm Split Batten Fixings making it appear to float from the wall.
I feel that the MDF would be too think and heavy for such a small print. I do not necessarily want my images to appear to be floating off the wall, so using this would be a unnecessary aspect for me.
The option I went for were white frames. I feel that this option works best for my work. I wanted my images to framed, rather than have the edges free. I chose Ribba 13x18cm frames from IKEA, as I needed 10, and I couldn't afford to buy expensive frames. These frame have inserts to border the image, after testing this, I have chosen to take these out and have the image full in the frame. I am able to collect these from the store, to make sure I had them in time, and print my images using the facilities at university. I also chose to print in glossy, as behind the glass in the frame, using matte paper would become useless. I also feel that my images suit a glossy finish.
