Acrylic Information

Acrylic Information

Click here to go to Acrylic Prints page.

To help you make the right choice when you purchase your acrylic image, you need to be aware of all the facts. To assist you in this search for information, below are the details about the materials and processes we and other companies use in the production of acrylic images. We have listed the advantages and disadvantages of the different processes. The reason for this information is so that you understand the issues which leaves you with the necessary information and enables you to make a decision as to the product that is best suited to your needs.

A very brief summary is as follows:
Cast acrylic is the only choice for this type of image.
Diamond polishing provides a superior edge than just flame polishing.
The best quality image is achieved by printing directly on photographic paper, better colour reproduction and greater detail, this will also provide a product that has been proved to last a lifetime.

Why Acrylic?
What are the different options for acrylic prints?
How long will my acrylic image last?
Full Summary

Why Acrylic?
A relative newcomer as a domestic photographic display option but one that works exceedingly well, the only problem is conveying how acrylic will work with your image. To fully appreciate acrylic when combined with your photographs you really need to see it up close.

Acrylic is a light weight plastic which offers many of the benefits of glass, such as high optical clarity but has advantages over glass which includes good resistance to breakage with half the weight. There are many manufactures of acrylic with some offering a better quality product but is is difficult for you as a consumer to determine the quality of the product. To enable you to ask questions from your supplier, we have included some details about acrylic.

There are two processes for the production of acrylic, cast acrylic and extruded acrylic.

Cast acrylic sheet is formed between two sheets of glass It offers better optical properties than extruded sheet and hence is the choice for image presentation applications.

Extruded acrylic sheet is produced on a continuous production line by extruding the acrylic through a die to form the sheet material. Extruded acrylic is more economical than cast acrylic.

The way the edge of the acrylic is finished can affect how the completed display will appear. First the acrylic has to be cut to size, this can be done using various techniques from power saws, which is probably the most common method, to Laser or CNC . While the Laser will leave the edge of the acrylic with an acceptable edge the other methods will need further work to achieve a suitable finish. Many suppliers of acrylic use one of two techniques for polishing the edge of acrylic panels, either flame polishing or diamond polishing.

The cheapest solution to a polished edge is flame polishing. This is where an open flame from a torch is passed over the edge of the acrylic. This type of polishing works better on extruded acrylic than cast acrylic. Flame polishing on certain pigmented colours may result in a matt finish or discolouration. This technique can be identified by the slightly rounded edges of the acrylic panel, in addition if not done correctly you can sometimes see imperfections on the face of the acrylic panel where the heat from the flame has spilled over onto the face.

A better choice for a quality finish is diamond polishing. Diamond polishing is a mechanical operation in which a diamond chip attached to a wheel is spun at a very high RPM and run along the edge. Diamond polishing can be used for straight edges and can provide excellent results. While the diamond polished edge is a better choice than the flame polished edge for display options, the quality of the edge does vary with some suppliers providing panels. Some panels do show machine marks down the edge of the acrylic, these are avoidable if the machining is done correctly. The reason for this being our preferred choice is not just because it is a sharper and cleaner look to the edge, as you look from the side it actually works better with the image.

To summarise your acrylic options, for the best quality you should be looking for
Cast acrylic panels
Diamond polished edge.

What are the different options for acrylic prints?

Probably the most important issue to consider is how the image is printed, depending on how this is done will greatly effect the appearance of the finished product. Not having a clear understanding of the printing technology could mean an expensive purchase which you will regret.

The easiest and the least effective and should be the cheapest, is the acrylic sandwich, this is where the printed photographic image is sandwiched between two sheets of acrylic. This technique does not provide the visual effect that a true acrylic image gives.

Another acrylic product available is where the image is printed directly onto the rear of the acrylic. There are variations to this method. Some printers using this method are not able to print white, where an image with white will show as clear patches on the clear acrylic. This type of display is not suitable where you have a coloured wall behind the acrylic. Some producers now get around this problem by techniques such as placing a white panel behind the acrylic while a more satisfactory technique is where a white plastic laminate is placed over the rear. To produce this type of acrylic product requires the use of flat bed printers, these expensive printers are really developed for the production of signs. One advantage for this type of product is the opportunity to display acrylic images outside.

The third technique utilises photographic inkjet printers for producing the printed image. This is the method that we at Bigphotoshop use in the production of all our acrylic images. We are confident that this method provides the highest quality of image. Our state of the art Epson photographic printers, pigment inks and photographic paper were developed for the very high quality demands of the photographic industry and have been developed and improved to provide incredible detail, with very accurate colour reproduction, so it is not surprising that this method will produce a superior acrylic image in terms of colour reproduction and fine detail in the image. To provide consistent accurate colour reproduction from skin tones to bright vibrant colours a colour management system is necessary.

Colour Management

Colour management is all about ensuring consistent accurate results when printing digital images. A question you may be asking, is there a problem? When you buy a printer and plug this into your computer you may get great results every time, but what is an acceptable result? For most people when walking into any TV sales area and looking at all the TVs on display one thing that will be apparent is the difference in colours on the different screens. The same with computer monitors and digital printers. So which is the correct colour, areas such as skin tones and the colour of grass are very noticeable when wrong so its important to ensure we print these area as accurately as possible. This is where colour management comes in. For the professional photographer, if you have a correctly profiled monitor when you are working on your photographic image, when you send that to a printers which also have a correctly profiled monitor and printer together the correct profiles for the printer paper, the colours of the printed image will match your screen as close as it is possible to do so. One important element in all of this is using the correct profile for the paper used, without this, accuracy of the colour reproduction cannot be guaranteed. This is a major disadvantage for those printing directly onto the acrylic, it is not possible to profile acrylic, so printing the correct colours cannot be guaranteed.

Another important term to understand is colour gamut. This defines the range of possible colours that printers, monitors and photographic paper can display and it also indicates the range for capture devices like cameras and scanners. The larger the gamut, the more colours available. Some printers may state that they are able to print xxxmillion colours, what this means is the printer has a potential for this many colours. What you actually print on is a limiting factor. Top quality photographic papers will be able to display a much larger colour gamut than printing on acrylic. Again this is a further disadvantage for those printing directly on the acrylic, the colour gamut for this type of printing is significantly lower that for a true quality photographic paper.

Dynamic range is another guide to possible print quality. A range from brightest white to the darkest dark is how dynamic range is defined. The higher the dynamic range, the greater the capacity for detail. For a quality photographic paper, the white is provided by the white of the paper while the black is provided by the black ink from the printer. So again, to provide a print with detail, printing on acrylic cannot match a true photographic printed paper.

Summary

There are essentially three methods for the production of acrylic images.
1- Acrylic sandwich, the easiest way but does not provide the full acrylic effect,
2 - Print on acrylic, excellent for outside displays, not the best image reproduction, for colour gamut and dynamic range,
3 - Photographic print, Best possible choice for quality of image,

How long will my acrylic image last?

A really important question, particularly relevant when you consider the cost of your purchase. A great deal of research has been undertaken by Wilhelm imaging research, who are considered world leaders in understanding this issue. Using a quality photographic print with Epson genuine pigment inks, the image should last in excess of 80 years before any fading is noticed. For printing directly onto acrylic, there has been no research to test, however some suppliers have quoted 3 years for an outside print, and have not disclosed any detail for an image displayed inside, it would obviously be in excess of the 3 years quoted for outside storage. Another weakness with the print on acrylic is the potential for damage from scratching, however once secured to the wall this issue should not be a problem.

Summary

Research indicates that when using a quality photographic paper and genuine Epson pigment inks, the image will last a lifetime before any fading is noticed. For those printing directly onto the acrylic, there is no data available to indicate the longevity of this type of image.

Full Summary

Cast acrylic is the only choice for this type of image

Diamond polishing provides a superior edge than just flame polishing

The best quality image is achieved by printing directly on photographic paper, better colour reproduction and greater detail, this will also provide a product that has been proved to last a lifetime.