Fractures - printing on glass; has anyone tried this?

tirediron · Jan 3, 2018

Fractures. Looks like a very cool product; a bit pricey for those of us in the Great White North, but I could see it being really cool for big landscapes and such.

Braineack · Jan 3, 2018

Almost used it. Do it and tell me!

smoke665 · Jan 3, 2018

Pricey for those of us in the South also, but it certainly has a cool factor.

zombiesniper · Jan 3, 2018

Tha name doesn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy about the longevity of the product. lol

ac12 · Jan 3, 2018

2mm thick glass isn't very thick for the larger sizes.
But then it would get heavy fast with thicker glass and the large size.

KmH · Jan 4, 2018

The image is printed on the back side of the glass and in the video we can see the product has a high sheen.
They do not offer a non-glare option nor anything like a matte finish for the image.

There is a 3/16 thick piece of some type/grade of foamcore behind the image that will offer some measure of protection to the inks/dyes used to print the image and serves to hang the image on a wall. The foamcore cannot be removed. If it is acidic as applied, or becomes acidic over time, the acidity will likely degrade the inks/dyes at some point in the future.

The web site says you clean the front just like you clean any glass.

Except their 4 sizes of square prints, their 6 other sizes are all 4:3 aspect ratio sizes.
What are the exact printing dimensions for your standard sizes? - Fracture Help Center

SquarePeg · Jan 4, 2018

I think the metal prints are a much better choice. What is the advantage of having on glass which is heavier and more fragile?

tirediron · Jan 4, 2018

SquarePeg said:
I think the metal prints are a much better choice. What is the advantage of having on glass which is heavier and more fragile?

I'm not sure; I'm picturing it as having the same sort of sheen as metal, but with some depth. I'd like to actually see one.

Braineack · Jan 4, 2018

the only reason that held me back was I couldn't figure out the mounting solution and I didn't want to put it up in a place that it could easily get knocked off the wall and break.

but I wanted to do this shot in the glass:

Artesa Winery by Braineack, on Flickr

petrochemist · Jan 4, 2018

I've seen the option to print on Acrylic before - which should give similar appearance, would be less prone to smashing but will probably scratch easier...

I've avoided trying them so far due to the expense.

Dave442 · Jan 4, 2018

I ran into a fine art photographer at one of the First Friday Art Walks in Phoenix back in November of 2012. He had a few prints on display that were etched to glass - so no colors. He said they were very heavy (about a 20x30" piece of glass with 16x24" printed area) and the mounting was the typical hole through the glass and then a spacer to set the glass away from the wall. This is very different from the Fractures, but is another option with glass.

Having glass in front of the printed image should give a longer life to the image as long as the print material is acid free as Keith noted.

Braineack · Jan 4, 2018

I think images with lots of colors will really pop.

its the mount I'm iffy about if that's just cutout foamcore: Fracture

as I'd probably print it in L or XL.

ah they even have an FAQ: How to Display Your Fracture On a Wall - Fracture Help Center

looks like the large ones have a metal reinforcement. but I wish there were two screw mounts not just one. hmmm.

zombiesniper · Jan 4, 2018

Looks like the mounting for heavier ones have a metal triangle to try and spread the weight.

Here's a review video.

vintagesnaps · Jan 4, 2018

I've seen this, and was wondering is this the two guys who met somewhere somehow, started a start up, and can't seem to get orders filled? No, this is two other guys who met somewhere else...

Started glancing thru their Terms (and the first paragraph is odd enough) and they don't guarantee that the colors etc. on this glass will look like your original. No guarantees as to delivery time. Okay, they offer a return, reprint, or 'no action'... then maybe a refund could be a possibility.

Nope, damage is apparently your problem once it's been shipped, not Fractures. Good luck with these guys. Maybe it'd be fine, I dunno. I find it questionable at best when they're affiliated with some other company that prints others' photos, and seems to appear to be in the US (with a NY address/office) but are actually out of I forget where, the UK or Netherlands. I don't trust online sites that are actually something or someplace different than what or where they appear to be.

One more goodie, 'lifetime' of the product is an estimated 5 years.

vintagesnaps · Jan 4, 2018

Oh, it just keeps getting better... it seems like you're licensing usage to them of your photos for their promotional use. And if you submit questions, comments, etc. etc. apparently you're licensing usage of that to them too. And I don't think you can sue them either! lol If you have any problems with this you might be SOL.