How are metal prints made?

Oct 16, 2021

For the high quality aluminum prints I offer, the image is first printed on to transfer paper with archival quality inks. The transfer paper is placed on a specially coated aluminum sheet. The pair is then placed into a heat press causing the dyes from the transfer paper to be permanently infused into the aluminum as it cools. This is known as dye sublimation. Sublimation is a process in which heat and pressure are used to turn a solid into a gas without putting it through a liquid phase. When printing on aluminum, sublimation inks are used which, by heating, takes a gaseous state. Heating takes about 3 to 8 minutes (depending on the surface area of the photo panel to be printed). In this state, the ink can attach to the coated aluminum. This process allows each image to take on a bright, vibrant, luminescent quality. The high definition colors of coupled with superior fade, moisture, stain, and scratch resistant properties make ChromaLuxe an excellent choice for luxury fine art prints.