As a young freshman in college, I can remember visiting my local paper supplier looking for unique printing options for my class assignments. Imagine walking into a room with wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling shelves (no exaggeration) filled with all the latest paper samples from major manufacturers like Neenah, Wausau, and Strathmore. **This is where I divulge a little bit of my design nerdiness, please bear with me** It was a dream for this newbie designer to see all the different choices in colors, vellum, textures, and weights. I was like a kid in a candy store…I mean, where to start!

Even though I have finished those college classes and the majority of my designing work is now online, I’m still that crazy kid in the paper store, always keeping a pulse on what’s new and up-and-coming in the printing industry. So you can imagine how excited I was when I discovered these gorgeous metal prints by Magna Chrome!

I’ve been dying to get this photo off my hard drive and have it printed so it could be displayed. It’s one of the first photos I took when I first discovered my passion for photographing classic cars, and it’s remains one of my absolute favorites to this day. Printing my classic car photos on photo paper or canvas just didn’t seem quite right. Printing on metal, now that’s a match made in heaven!

This is truly a print you have to see to believe. The technique used to infuse the image into the surface gives it a luminescence that makes the image look as if it’s glowing. There’s no need for glass, these prints are archival quality, scratch-resistant, and completely waterproof. In fact, as you’ll see on their home page, these prints are fully submersible in water, making them perfect for kitchens or bathrooms.

There are several different hanging options from a simple float-mount to a stylish shadow frame. The one you see here is “The Hanger,” which floats your print about 1/2 inch off of the wall. An effect I especially love! It features a hole towards the top for hanging and four rubber bumpers on each corner to protect your wall, and helps keep the print level.

Quite affordable, this style of print with float-mount option ranges anywhere from $16 for a 5×7, up to $72 for a 16×20.

What I love most about Magna Chrome’s metal printing is that it gives my photos a modern, contemporary look. They’re simple, stylish, and perfect for my classic car photography. Plus, they’re just out-of-this-world awesome!

psst…Father’s Day is just around the corner (June 17, 2012), I think a metal print would make the perfect gift for Dad!