Where do you print your photos for a gallery exhibition?

JustBen · Jan 17, 2017

Hi all,

I am preparing my first exhibiton at a local gallery (not the one I talk about in another thread) and I would be thankful for some tips on where you print your photos for a gallery setting. I searched the forum already, but the most threads about this topic seem to be from 2009, so I was hoping for some more recent information :1247:

So far I have used Mpix Pro and was pretty happy with it, but they do not have some format combinations I would like to have. I found Bay Photo and Finerworks already, does anyone have experience with them?

Thanks for your help!

Ben

KmH · Jan 18, 2017

MpixPro is good and they will gladly make custom size prints for you.
The parent lab, Miller's Professional Imaging, and their consumer lab, Mpix, will too.

However, I'm not sure what you mean by 'format combinations', and I'm also wondering what genre of photographs you will be showing.
Also what type of prints do you want? C-prints? Inkjet prints? And on what media?
C-prints are made on light sensitive paper. There are boatloads of different papers that can be used for inkjet prints.
The last time I had prints made by Miller's/Mpix they were still using Kodak Endura C-print papers.

At any rate you do the set up work to have a custom size print made on paper larger than the final print size you want.
If you want a say an 20 x 18 print and you want a 2" white border all the way around 24 x 22 the finished print, you make a new document with a white background in your editing application that is 20 x 30, a size MpixPro has.
Using a second layer you center your photo on the 20 x 30 and then add thin lines to show the lab where you want the over size paper cut.
If you don't want extra white border for your 20 x 18 print make a new document with a white background that is 20 x 20, a size of print paper MpixPro has.
To show MpixPro where you want the paper trimmed add text in the white blank space you don't want - Please trim to edge of photo.

JustBen · Jan 18, 2017

Hi KmH, and thank you for your reply. I guess "format combinations" was not the right term. Bayphoto for example makes metal prints that can be framed as well. This option is missing at Mpix Pro as far as i could tell.

I am showing Wildlife and Landscape photos and i think i want to get a combination of Canvas Prints and framed Fine Art Prints. Right now i am looking into the different Fine Art papers that are available to figure out which photo would look best on a specific paper. For example i found the "Slickrock Metallic" from Moab, that i want to use for one of my Black and Whites. I am just not sure though if a metallic look would look ok on a Landscape photo. :confused-55:

vintagesnaps · Jan 18, 2017

I print my own and haven't done metals (nor landscapes, but have done art prints for gallery exhibitions). I wonder about some of the B&W, if there's a bit of water, snow, or ice, if on metal it might bring out some luster or give a feel of sunlight hitting it. If that makes sense. If it was me, I'd probably get one done and see how I like it. I find sometimes it doesn't work quite like I'd envision, but maybe I'll figure out a different way to use it.