The way that Mpix’s Framed Textile prints were described to the Phoblographer leads us to believe that they’re a completely different way of displaying your photos. Made from similar material to what you see with trade show banners, Mpix describes them as an “Ultra-soft pigment coated fabric featuring a matte finish and subtle fine art texture.” After this, you use a metal frame. Essentially, it’s like the ultimate version of a canvas print. And when you realize how large these prints are, you really start to understand why this is the case.
For years, photographers have printed their photographs on mostly paper. That’s what we tend to see in galleries and museums most of the time. But they’ve also done canvas, metal, wood, and acrylic prints, amongst other surfaces. Framed textile isn’t exactly new to the print market — but it’s also not something commonly offered by commercial printers.
The uninitiated might think this is “rag” style paper, but it surely isn’t. In fact, the naming conventions of paper are often really odd.
Photographers won’t be making small prints with these; in fact, you can’t. The smallest option that Mpix offers is a 40×60-inch printed image. Essentially, take the idea of a 4×6 print and multiply it by 10. Then, print it on cloth that’s been specially treated to accommodate a matte finish, and you’ll be all set. Obviously, this isn’t the stuff that you’d get from Costco, Walgreens, or other pharmacy-based printers.
With paper, you’ll realize that certain images look better on matte papers while others look better on luster on glossy. Everything looks good with just a little sheen and the right lighting. That’s probably why so many photo books use it! However, Mpix’s Framed Textile prints take on the properties of canvas that allow a print to look good anywhere in your home. Unlike paper, it’s not dependent on the lighting angles and such.
Mpix states on their website that they’re doing the printing using a fade-resistant heat transfer. They claim it helps with keeping the details preserved.
The Mpix Framed Textile prints go as large as 60×90 inches. If you shoot a 6×9 format film, you’ll basically be in your happy place with that size. I’d probably print my images from my old Fujifilm GW690 III that large. After seeing Josef Koudelka’s work printed large, doing something like this is very inspiring.
Of course, you also need a certain resolution to make these images really shine. As it is, the Phoblographer typically prints at 17×22 with our office printer. 12 Megapixels isn’t enough for us at that size. But at 24MP, you start to have a more workable image. At 45 Megapixels, there are many great details to look at due to the pixel density. If you’re printing even larger, we’re curious to see how the images will look. Of course, the Framed Textiles aren’t for critical assessment. Instead, it’s designed for wall decor.
These come with either a black of aluminum frame. When it’s shipped to you, you’ll have to put it all together yourself. Check out their website for more.