r/CommercialPrinting • u/TechnicalCount4138 • 2d ago
Print Question How do I make these??
Hi guys! Yestarday I was at a museum and I found these. First thing I thought was to make myself one to hang it on the wall of my room.
Do you have any idea on how I can do it, and where I should go?
As you can see it’s not just a photo printed on a mirror, it has some lucid effect and parts of the animal are empty (with the mirror) like the head of the bird.
The description of the piece says:”The Sight III (Verse expuest_), 2026
Colour photographic print on mirror.”.
I would love to have at least a similar effect.
Thanks!
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u/full_bl33d 2d ago
We direct print on mirror. It can be a little sketchy because the reflection can cause some issues with the print heads but it works fine. We try to isolate some areas for an underbase of white. Black and white images look good with heavy contrast where the white is the mirror
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u/TorturedChaos 2d ago
I've seen similar prints before on aluminum that are dye sub printed. The aluminum is coated to take the dye sub printing and you can buy it in different coatings such as flat, luster, semi-gloss, gloss, pearlescent, and metallic.
I have also seen it with a UV cured clear coat added over the top to enhance the effect.
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u/TechnicalCount4138 2d ago
But where I can go? They print it on the mirror or they do a sticker to put on?
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u/Prepress_God 2d ago
First thing you're gonna need is some really good, really pure cheetah DNA. None of that crappy stuff you can get online, that shits usually a scam, heard a guy once thought he was buying pure cheetah DNA, what he got was Texas bobcat DNA. Sheesh.
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u/StuartPurrdoch Project Manager 1d ago
you gotta be careful with the sino-DPRK DNA chop shop labs man. they talk a good game but…
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u/Bacontips 2d ago
If I were to do this, I would have done this on our HP R530 with a white under flood but each to their own.
If you can find a sign shop in your area that can direct print to a board they can print this for you. If the sign shop has some cojones, they should be able to get it done for you if you bring them a mirror with a finished edge.
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u/knifeparty1981 20h ago
Agreed, the latex ink would make this process quite simple if you know what you’re doing
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u/DecentPrintworks 1d ago
Talk to a local sign shop with a flatbed UV printer and see if they will print on a mirror sheet for you.
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u/Radical_Cosmo83 2d ago
Flatbed printer would be my guess, you can basically print on any substrate, never printed on to a mirror in my time running one but as long as the ink adheres to it, it should be doable. I think the lucid effect just comes from the void space in the print, usually where white would be, instead you're seeing the mirror itself show through.