Aluminum prints look yellow (?)

<p>All else being equal, do prints on aluminum tend to look more yellow? And if so, shouldn't the lab compensate for this when it prints?</p>

<p>I had been curious about aluminum prints for some time. Aspen Creek had a pretty good special about a month ago, and I ordered three, two with files I'd had printed multiple times before. I did not change the color balance on any of the files. No, I don't use a color-managed workflow, but I have a pretty good idea of how prints are going to look based on what I see on the monitor, and I always tell the lab 'no adjustments'. Yes, I've gotten prints from Aspen Creek before, so I had an idea what to expect from them (slightly lower contrast and darker, compared to 'no adjustments' prints from, say, Shutterfly or Mpix--I suspect due to the differences between 'pro' paper and regular paper--but no color balance issues).</p>

<p>When the aluminum prints arrived, the overall effect was great--a little like Cibachrome or Fuji Supergloss, only even more so--but all three prints appeared to me to have a slight yellow tint. Now I know some metals tend to have a tint, e.g., silver looks yellowish and stainless steel looks bluish. Maybe the aluminum allow for the plates they use starts yellowish (although I had not thought that about aluminum before)--but if so, you'd think their printers would make some global color balance adjustment to counter that.</p>

<p>These prints were basically an experiment, and didn't cost me an arm and a leg. I may or may not take it up with Aspen Creek. But first I'd like to hear the experiences of others who have gotten aluminum prints--whether from Aspen Creek, Adorama, Meridian, or wherever. Thanks!</p>

 

<p>I've done metal prints with McKenna Pro and Bay Photo, and they both have been accurate with regard to the original colors as I see them on my monitor or on a paper print. I believe they both source their metal prints from Chromluxe, according to printer partner listings on Chromaluxe's web site.</p>

<p>I've had good results from Bay. Both color accuracy and print quality were acceptable. I tried another vendor which was running a sale to promote a new metal print service and the results were abysmal -- the overall look was muddy and mottled.</p>

<p>Thanks for the input. I guess I need to decide whether it's worth taking up with Aspen Creek.</p>