Announcing our New B&W Paper: Fibre-based Matt

Introducing our newest Black & White Paper: HARMAN GDS FIBRE-BASED MATT, providing a flat-matt alternative to our signature fibre-based paper.

In response to the increasing demand, HARMAN has introduced a brand new silver gelatin, premium quality, matt finish, panchromatic photographic paper that not only replicates the qualities of their Fibre paper but is also receptive to hand colouring and chemical toning, making this hybrid product completely unique. Metro has been working closely with the company to test the paper in order to produce the best quality print possible.

“It has taken a number of years to develop the HARMAN GDS FB Matt paper and we are delighted by the results. Feedback from the market trials of the product has been spectacular so we are really excited about finally being able to get a product such as this out to our photo lab customers.”
Giles Branthwaite, HARMAN Sales & Marketing Director.

Formulated with the very latest B&W Silver Halide Emulsion technology, and optimised for digital exposure, the fibre-based matt delivers excellent contrast and sharpness with a neutral image tone. Allowing for superb and continuous B&W tones on both images and text, the gallery-quality results are equal to those seen with traditional B&W hand-printing but can be prepared from a variety of mediums, such as B&W or colour negatives, positives or prints.

The new HARMAN GDS Fibre-based paper stands alongside our original format at 310gsm but with a double-weight Baryta matt finish. Supplied on a 50″ (127cm) roll, we can produce prints up to 108 x 48″ (2744 x 1219cm).

Prices can be found here.

Pictured: HARMAN GDS Fibre-based Matt (left) overlaid HARMAN GDS Fibre-based Gloss (right).
Image © Karen Hook

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.