Materials
What you are actually buying
I do not keep a stack of prints in a closet. After you order, I send the file to a lab myself. Metal and canvas go to Pictorem. Giclée goes to MPix. I sign the print unless you ask me to leave it off.
MPix
Giclée
Paper. The closest thing to a traditional fine-art print.
Ink on archival paper, not plastic and not metal. Soft, detailed, a little matte unless I ask for a glossier stock. It wants a frame if you are going to hang it in a bright room. I order these from MPix.
Pictorem
HD Metal
Ink infused into aluminum. Bright, sharp, no glass.
This is the modern one. Color sits in the coating, not on top of it, so it can take a lot of light without looking washed out. No frame required. I order these from Pictorem.
Pictorem
Canvas
Ink on stretched canvas. You can see the weave.
Softer than metal, more physical than paper. The texture does some of the work. Stretched and ready for a wall. I order these from Pictorem.
If you are stuck
Bright room, want the photograph to punch: metal. Want it to feel like a print you could mat and frame: giclée. Want some texture and a piece that already looks finished without a frame: canvas.