Glossary of Terms Updated: Sep 08, 2024
Metal Prints - any print that uses a metal surface (usually aluminum but sometimes steel) for rigidity including prints that are directly printed on metal such as UV cured prints, prints that use the rigidness of the aluminum as a carrier for spray coatings for the dye sublimation process such as Chromaluxe, duraluxe and others.
HD Metal Prints - Refers to the higher quality metal print known as Chromaluxe. These prints are the standard for museums and galleries as well as art exhibitions, trade shows and art fairs.
Dye sublimation – a process that involves placing an image printed on a special paper (called sublimation paper) into a dye sublimation printer that fuses the print onto metal with heat and pressure.
Edge mount - aka flush mount, Euro Mount, gallery mount.
Box mount - smaller hanging mount that’s easy to hang smaller prints.
Tuxedo mount - sometimes called exhibit mount, uses a black (or sometimes white) polystyrene based plastic to provide extra depth to metal prints. This makes metal prints heavier and look and feel more expensive. This plastic usually ranges from a few millimeters all the way up to a quarter inch.
Floater frame - a frame that goes around a print with the appearance or illusion that makes the print look like it’sfloating inside the frame.
Cleat hanger - lipped hanger bar that’s typically used to hang large prints up to 200 pounds.
Color correction - balancing colors in a photo.
Color enhancement - enhancing photos so they appear more vibrant and rich in color like you typically see on your (uncalibrated) monitor.
RGB - red, green, and blue primary colors of light are added together in a multitude of ways to create a broad spectrum of colors.
CMYK - a combination of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black used in printing.
Signature Backstamp - this is where you or your studio can bear your mark. You can import your own logo, graphics, or signature.
AutoSign - a paid option to have your signature signed by a signature robot. This will sign your print with a real highquality paint pen with your own signature using a vector traced file that you provide.
Chromaluxe Outdoor - previously called Chromaluxe EXT, this option allows for hanging outside with a guaranteed UV rating for 5 years, and at Shiny Prints, 10 years.
White Gloss – glossy white finish is excellent for water scenes, nature, animals, landscapes, and wherever else you may find a wide range of colors.
White Matte - also known as white satin.
Silver Gloss - also called Clear Gloss
Silver Matte - also called clear matte or clear satin.
Semi Gloss - this gloss level is between the Gloss and Matte, providing you with the best of both worlds. Perfect for portraits or works of art displayed where glare is a concern.
Pro Pricing - special pricing for our professional customers who resell their art
Custom Shape - a custom shaped print where the metal print panel is cut using a CNC machine to get a specific shape.
Print Bleed - many printing processes, including the one used for metal prints will crop out or cut out anything oolong the edges. It’s important to make sure that there are no important elements of your photo that are within 1/4” from the edge as it will be at risk of being cropped out in the final print. Use best practices to add bleed in these cases. It’salso important to not put a digital signature close to the edge.
Soft proof - process of digitally simulating how an image may turn out once it is printed. This requires a calibrated monitor.
Hard Proof - a physical proof, typically a 8x10 or 8x12 that’sused to see how your image will print on the surface optionof your choice.
DPI - dots per inch - a way to measure image resolution for printing or display
Viewing Distance- recommended distance to view artwork
Resample - to change the total number of pixels in aimage by reducing or increasing the number of pixels
Chiaroscuro - drastic light and dark contrasts used to suggest the volume and modelling of the subjects depicted
Resolution - the level of detail contained in an image
