Printing copies of old book illustrations to hang on the wall
December 18, 2017 4:46 AM   Subscribe

If I wanted to print out a copy of this image, or a similar old print illustration, to hang on the wall, what kind of print service would be best? (hopefully that link goes to the right page in the book, you can see a smaller version of the same image on Flickr)
posted by Bloxworth Snout to Media & Arts (8 answers total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
Response by poster: Thanks neustile!

I just wanted to add that I’m in the UK, so although I was mainly asking about what kind of print would be best, if anyone had any UK companies they could recommend, that would also be helpful.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 5:09 AM on December 18, 2017


I got some Chinese Fantastic Beasts and bug posters done for the Potter/bug mad grandkids last Christmas with an online printing company (not Photobox) - just straight to poster then in cheap frames from Ebay. The quality was lovely with a very fast turnaround. I chose a matt over a glossy finish, I think that would work really well on your images (which I've bookmarked for a birthday gift next year, thank you!).

Tesco (the in-store booth) was surprisingly expensive in comparison. I'm searching my emails for receipts and can't find the name of the company I used but will come back and update as soon as I find it.
posted by humph at 5:28 AM on December 18, 2017


A company such as My Picture (well rated, but I've never used any of these companies) will offer several styles for hanging on the wall. You can get the print done on canvas which is stretched over a wood frame, so it somewhat resembles a painting. You can get it printed on aluminum, or mounted on acrylic, or framed, or mounted on Forex, a hard-foam plate.

The My Picture site seems well-regarded in a quick seach, and their prices are likely to be on the lower side. I searched for "canvas print uk". The companies who do canvas prints are also likely to do the other styles. (Tesco seems about three times the price for roughly equivalent product.)

Good luck.
posted by blob at 7:22 AM on December 18, 2017


Best answer: > Tesco (the in-store booth) was surprisingly expensive in comparison.

The quality is also dreadful.

Photobox do okay. My top tip for printing in the UK is DS Colour Labs near Manchester. They're not cheap but the quality is fantastic (as is their customer service). Their Fuji Pearl or Kodak Metallic prints look incredible.

If you want something to hang on the wall and look good, I'd recommend spending a few pounds extra with a pro service like this rather than a consumer-oriented service like Photobox.
posted by giraffeneckbattle at 7:39 AM on December 18, 2017


We've used fracture, which is US-based, but there are numerous companies that allow you to upload an image to print on glass or acrylic. I like how it comes ready to hang, so there are no frames to buy, and it has a modern look which might play nicely with your awesome vintage beetles. One thing about them that we didn't realize until the prints arrived is that they all seem to have an opaque layer behind the image, so you can't hang it in front of a window/light source to make it light up.
posted by Drosera at 8:05 AM on December 18, 2017 [1 favorite]


Best answer: You want a matte print; it'll look more like a page from a book than a photograph. The glass and canvas prints might look a little weird; books aren't made of canvas or sheets of glass.

I don't know what UK print labs are the best; check out the bottom of this article for some places to try. WhiteWall seems to have a good reputation. Maybe try their Hahnemühle Photo Rag paper.

Whichever lab you choose, get a few small prints made on different papers to see which paper looks the best for you images, before you order a bunch of prints.

Do note the Flickr link has a lower resolution image than the Bio Diversity Library page. Going off the resolution of the image, I wouldn't try printing bigger than about 12x16.
posted by gregr at 9:09 AM on December 18, 2017


Response by poster: Thanks everyone!
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 2:44 AM on December 19, 2017


Response by poster: Just for anyone interested, I went with WhiteWall and the print came out looking great.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 3:43 AM on January 5, 2018


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