Vivid 101
Before you order, here is the short version: what a metal print actually is, why it looks like nothing else on a wall, and the few choices that shape your final piece. Five minutes, start to finish.
One minute on who we are.
A quick look inside the lab, then the science that makes metal worth it.
The science other mediums can't fake.
Vivid started as Image Wizards. Our original owner, Roger K. Laudy, helped work out modern dye-sublimation on aluminum before ChromaLuxe was even a brand name. The result is a surface paper and canvas physically cannot reproduce, and the diagram below is the reason why.
The trick is the sandwich. Aluminum on the bottom. A white titanium-dioxide coating above it. A clear polymer layer on top. When the dyes sublimate, they turn to gas and suspend inside that clear layer, floating above the white base.
Light enters the surface, passes through the suspended dye, bounces off the white, and exits back out. That round trip is the glow. It is why a metal print reads as luminous instead of flat, and it is bonded into the panel, so it will not peel, crack, or fade.
"Every show I ever did, I leaned them on easels with no lighting. People always said "they look backlit."
Your file.
A great print starts with a good file. Here is the short list before you upload.
300 DPI, Adobe RGB, TIFF
We recommend 300 DPI at final size in the Adobe RGB color space. TIFF is preferred because it is lossless and keeps every bit of data, but we accept most common formats.
Crop and scale first
Make your edits before sending: crop, straighten, color. Match your file to the ratio you are ordering. We never crop a key part of an image without contacting you first.
What your camera can do
Modern phones print well to around 20x30. Older phones cap near 11x14 to 12x18. A nice DSLR handles anything we typically produce.
We review every file for free. A real person checks resolution, color, and the small stuff like lens dust or compression artifacts before anything hits metal. If something looks off, we tell you. Send a file and we will take a look.
Your finish.
Five surfaces, two families. White bases give punchy, accurate color. Clear bases drop the white out and let brushed aluminum shimmer through. Gloss maximizes pop; matte and satin cut glare.
White Gloss
Maximum saturation and depth. Our best-seller and the safe pick if you are unsure.
White Semi-Gloss
The same rich color with a touch less reflection. A balanced middle ground.
White Satin
Glare-free and soft. Ideal for portraits and bright rooms with reflection concerns.
Clear Gloss
Brushed-metal shimmer through highlights. Striking on high-contrast scenes like skylines.
Clear Satin
Metallic character with reduced glare. A refined, understated antique look.
White is the safe bet
Clear drops whites out to bare metal, so images with lots of white or soft gray (snow, fog) lose detail. High-contrast images shine on clear. White looks great on anything.
The biggest choice: White vs Clear.
The difference is hard to show on a screen, so we put them side by side on the same image. Drag the slider just below to see exactly what each base does to the whites and the contrast.
White Vs Clear Base Comparison
White vs Clear, decoded.
For the most accurate, vibrant print, the kind where what you see is what you get, choose a White base. It works like white photo paper: whites stay bright, shadows stay clear, colors stay fully saturated.
On the Clear brushed-aluminum base, the white parts of your image turn transparent and let the metal show through. The image loses some depth and contrast, and you lose detail in the shadows. Clear is a very cool effect when it is exactly what you are after, but not when it is not.
Your frame.
We design frames to let the image stay the hero. Two of these you cannot even see from the front, and we still call them framed. Prefer your own framer? Order unframed. Tap any option to see it from every angle.
Frame to Edge (Flush)
A clean border flush to the panel edge. Black, silver, or pewter, in 0.75 and 1.25 inch depths.
Recessed (Floating)
Inset behind the print so it floats off the wall with a shadow line. A gallery-style look from the front.
Shadowbox
A deeper profile with a half-inch gap and a pronounced gallery shadow. Front, corner, side, and back.
Unframed
The pure panel with rounded corners. Modern and minimal, or hand it to your own framer.
DUO Backer
Hang with no nails or damage, move it 5 to 7 times, or stand it on a shelf. Lowest-cost option, sizes 5x5 to 11x14.
Wall Mount & Curved
Wall Mount goes anywhere, even humid rooms, up to 32x46. Curved prints stand on a shelf in concave or convex, up to 10x20.
Getting it to you.
Made in-house, packed to survive the trip, and shipped nationwide. We drop-ship straight to your clients too.
34x46 is the magic size for affordable shipping. At that size or smaller, a print ships from North Carolina to California for roughly $50 to $60. Go even a couple inches larger and the cost can quadruple as it crosses into oversized freight. If you have flexibility on dimensions, staying at or under 34x46 is the single biggest lever on shipping cost.
Ready to make one?
You have the essentials. Price a job, get a sample in your hands, or go deep in the full reference.
Price Calculator
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Open the calculator → Hold ItSample Kits
A $10 kit with all five finishes, or a $120 kit printed with your own image at full size.
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Upload your file, pick a finish, choose size and framing. Ready when you are.
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