ABOUT METAL PRINTS
Washington State Nature Photography Metal Prints By Peter James
Bring Nature Inside
Everyone who sees these nature photography Metal Prints comments on how realistic the photos look. The combination of Peter James's ultra-detailed, vibrantly colorful images, and the dye-infusion process that suspends the photo in a thin coating on the surface of the Metal Prints, creates a luminous and almost 3-D effect that takes wall art to a whole new level. They make you feel like you are right there, looking at breathtaking natural scenery. If you love being out in nature, then why not bring nature inside with you as well?
Why Metal Prints Look So Good
Metal Prints are a sheet of recycled aluminum covered with a white backing layer, and then a thin layer of clear polymer. The dyes are heat infused into that clear layer. So light passes through the color, reflects off the white backing, and comes back through the color before hitting your eye. This makes these art pieces look luminous, as if they are lighted from behind. It's the same way light travels though oil paints, and why oil paintings look so much more dimensional than paintings done with acrylic paints, which are opaque. Landscape photography Metal Prints are the oil paintings of the photography world.
No Frame in Sight
Because Metal Prints are waterproof, they don't need to be protected under glass. This means there's no need to waste money and space on your wall on a mat or a frame, so you get a larger photograph in the same space. The Metal Print has an inset aluminum frame mounted out of view on the back, and this supports the picture hanging wire, and floats the photo 3/4 of an inch away from the wall. The lightness of the aluminum, and the simplicity of the mounting wire, make hanging Metal Prints easy and stress-free.
Hanging Metal Prints Video
Eco-Friendly Printing
Even with digital photography, most photo printing is still done on traditional photo paper. These photographic processes produce chemical waste containing high levels of silver, as well as other caustic chemicals and bleaches; much of which end up being poured down drains and ultimately into our environment. Furthermore, many photographers mount the paper to acrylic sheets, creating excessive plastic consumption that becomes waste when the unstable chemicals in the paper prints allow the colors to fade.
Peter James’s Metal Prints use a dye transfer process where there is no chemical processing and no heavy metals, so you can celebrate the beauty of nature while protecting it as well. The colors last 3 to 4 times longer, and they are printed on aluminum which is both recycled and recyclable, so no waste ever needs to occur.
Color Stability
Collectors will be happy to know that nature landscape Metal Prints have been proven to have exceptional image stability. Xenon Light Stability Testing shows that the image stability of metal landscape prints is 3 to 4 times longer than the image stability of traditional silver halide photo papers.
Peter James’s metal landscape photographs will last for generations when displayed out of direct sunlight. Like all fine art, these Metal Prints should not be exposed to direct sunlight for long periods of time. However because they are waterproof, they are perfect for outdoor living spaces. If you would like to hang your Metal Print in a sunny spot, or even in direct sun, we can have a special ink-set called our Superlife inks which will not change the appearance of the print, but will significantly extent the duration of the color stability.
Additionally, unlike gicleé or paper photographic processes, Metal Prints are waterproof and have a scratch resistant coating. The archival value of the Metal Prints far exceeds other mediums due to its resistance to degradation by U.V. light, ozone exposure, moisture and surface damage.
See the comparative testing here: Xenon Light Stability Test Results (PDF)
Cleaning Metal Prints
Since these Metal Prints are scratch resistant and waterproof, you can clean them with any ammonia-free glass cleaner. We have found that a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water is the best way to clean the prints without leaving any streaks. Most of the time a light dusting is all that's needed, but please watch the video below for some tricks that will make the cleaning process much easier and more effective.
Cleaning Metal Prints Video
Handling Metal Prints
Although the Metal Prints are quite tough, care should still be taken when moving and hanging them. Enough force will bend the aluminum and the image surface can chip if the edge is set down too hard on a hard surface. Always set your artwork down on a towel or carpeted surfaces and your pictures will last many lifetimes.
Artist's Signature and Certificates of Authenticity
Metal Prints ordered from this website will be delivered with Peter James's signature in the lower right corner of the print. You will also receive a hand signed Certificate of Authenticity with your piece's unique serial number that you can attach to the back of the your artwork or keep on file in a safe place.
