Metro’s Tips From The Experts: Deadlines!

Organising an exhibition or preparing framed prints can be a stressful situation at the best of times, not to mention when a deadline is looming. So we get some expert advice from our wonderful Production Manager Simon Turner and share his top tips on planning ahead when producing an exhibition, portfolio or edition prints for a deadline.

Timing- Allow enough time to complete the work . Sometimes costing, testing images and approval /sign-off of prints takes longer than expected.
Testing- You could need more than one round of test strips or prints to get it right. If quoted 3 days for a test and 3 days for a final print it may not be possible to fit in a 2^nd test if required before your deadline.
Printing- Prioritise the printing of your artwork. Whether you are framing here or elsewhere, it is good to allow enough time to get the print right and not be under pressure to get the work off for framing, mounting, etc. you’ll just end up rushing your final prints – which is more important the printed image or the frame?
Finishing- Your schedule will need to allow for framing and finishing off of prints. For example, if printing takes 5 working days and framing an additional 15 days that the whole job takes 20 working days (not 15).
Be prepared – always plan your schedule and budget well ahead of your deadline!

See our Bespoke Printing Services for more info or to discuss your project plans with our lovely staff just pop in or call 020 7865 0000 for an appointment.

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.