Metro Imaging Turns 40!

2020 is a very special year for us at Metro Imaging, as it’s our 40th Anniversary!

Founded by Ben Richardson and his best friend from school, Mike Trevillion, Metro began as a two-man operation, providing black and white printing back in 1980 from a small establishment in Great Titchfield Street. Great energy and a genuine passion for the business soon earned Metro a reputation for quality and innovation, establishing the UK’s original photographic imaging company. From there, we expanded and evolved, along with the photographic industry, to where we are today.

The business rapidly expanded as a skilled and committed team were established. In 1983 the colour department is set up, and by 1985 Metro had relocated to larger premises in Great Sutton Street and, along with it, a 24/7 E6 processing lab is introduced. From then onwards Metro kept moving forward steadily, and by 2000 the business had already expanded into the field of electronic imaging, C-type printing, C41 colour processing and contacting, photo retouching, mounting and framing, online services, and films sales. The Metro group opened branches all across London in Chelsea, Soho, Clerkenwell, and Waterloo.

By the mid-2000s, the photographic industry saw a decline in demand for traditional printing and film processing. Given its fundamental adaptability and flexibility, which has kept us thriving at the forefront of an ever-changing market, Metro relocated to cosier premises in Great Sutton Street, eventually shutting down other branches, with business moving towards digital printing and online services. And whilst the demand for analogue services has grown smaller throughout the years, Metro are proud to still offer a full range of film processing and scanning services, B&W hand printing, and the finest quality Digital C-type and Silver Gelatin printing.

In 2009 came the delivery of one of only ten Superwide Lightjet 500XL printers, and with it Metro Imaging became one of only two commercial printing labs in Europe, and the only UK lab, to be able to print to 72” wide. It is the only photographic printer in the world which can print to 10ft x 6ft in one section, making it the number one choice for fine art photographers. The Lightjet had to be craned over the building into the back courtyard, closing off Great Sutton Street for the day, with an entire wall dismantled and rebuilt to accommodate the machine!

By 2012 Metro Imaging was granted the Royal Warrant by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, recognising our close relationship as a supplier to the Duchy of Cornwall for many years.

Metro Imaging’s passion and commitment to excellence and the highest standard of service has made us the most trusted professional photo lab in the UK, establishing us as specialists in the Fine Art and Photography industry amongst galleries, museums, collectors and educational institutions.

We’ll be celebrating at various points throughout the year, so stay tuned! Thank you for an incredible 40 years!

You can find our full timeline via our About page.

For more information about our services, or for help ordering, please get in touch

We offer the following types of printing

Partial photo of a face covered in hundres and thousands printed on Fuji Crystal Archive Paper which is available in both gloss and a semi matt finish.

C Type Professional Photo Printing

We have been printing the highest quality C-Type prints for decades and digital C-Types produced on our Lambda have the archival and tonal benefits of traditional photographic papers, with the advantages of digital photo printing. C-Types are a conventional photographic print from a digital file, and as such is the most suitable option when printing a colour photograph.

Printing linking you through to our giclee printing service.

Fine Art Giclée Printing

We have Hahnemuhle and Canson Giclée Certified Studio staus and with over 30 years experience in photographic printing we use the most advanced inkjet technologies. Giclée is a gallery-quality inkjet print onto fine art watercolour paper. This is most suitable for art illustrations, but can also be used for colour and B&W photographs.

This a picture take of a very large black and white ilford fibre based print of two people.

Black & White Printing

We have worked in collaboration with Harman Technology to develop genuine B&W silver gelatin Fibre-Based and Resin-Coated photographic prints from digital files. The Resin-Coated is suitable for most types of B&W printing, and Fibre-Based is ideal for exhibition quality.

Picture of a Duratran. Duratrans are a real chromogenic print on translucent material and are then mounted on lightboxes.

Duratran Printing

We produce Duratrans at a quality level unmatched by anything else out there. Duratrans have to be lit from behind, so need to be mounted in a rear lit display, or we can produce led lightboxes, which are conventional photo frames containing the Duratran and led panel.

Metro called it Direct to Media. Essentially this is a UV printing machine that can produce very large, up to 3m x 2m prints on any flat material less than 10cm thick. So we can print on wood, metal, slate and pretty much anything you can think of.

Direct to Media Printing

Direct to media printing is exactly that; we print your image directly to a substrate of your choice. Be it paper, card, aluminium, Perspex, canvas, wood, slate… Our Jetrix UV inkjet flatbed printer can print on any flat surface up to 3m x 2m, less than 10cm thick. To ensure your material is suitable, we can print test prints around A4 in size.

This is a print on adhesive vinyl. The vinyl is on a roll and 1.2m wide, but it can printed in multiple pieces in order to cover a wall.

Vinyl Printing

Vinyl Phototex is chosen for its high-quality Giclée finish as well as its ease of application to wall or mounting material due to its self-adhesive properties. We can print on vinyl using our direct to media printer, in strips of 1.5m x 3m and these can be applied to the wall in the fashion of wallpaper to cover a complete wall or interior.

Mounting and framing

Picture Frame Hire

Picture frame hire is a great alternative to our framing service; we offer photo frame hire on a short or long-term basis, for art or photographic projects. Our range of ready-to-go picture frames, come in a range of sizes including 20 x 16, 24×20 and 30×20 inches, and are constructed to our usual high standards.

Picture Framing

Whether you have photographic prints or original art, our bespoke framing service provides expertly hand framed work by our talented finishing team. We have facilities to mount and frame works tup to 10ft x 6ft.

Photo Mounting

Photographic mounting is a great way to present your photographs for exhibitions or the home. Surfaces such as MDF and foamex are prized for durability, MDF for rigidity, Foamboard for lightweight versatility. Reverse Perspex is ideal for vibrant colours and aluminium adds a modern twist.