Versione in Italiano QUI
Introduction
It is not the first time that we read the name of Saal-Digital among these pages: if you remember, some time ago I reviewed their photobooks. (For those who missed it, HERE‘s the review).
Given the extremely positive experience of photobooks, I did not hesitate to accept the proposal to try out one of their wall decorations.
The choice of the surface
To make the most out of the printing surface Saal-Digital has provided me with a very comprehensive sample pack (which can be obtained through their website).
Already from this sample pack we could perceive the quality of the products both in terms of materials and of printing quality. The Saal-Digital catalog of wall decorations includes:
- Alu-Dibond
- Acrylic glass
- Alu-Dibond Butlerfinish
- PVC foamboard
- GalleryPrint
- Canvas
Really there is only the embarrassment of choice. For my test I decided to choose something really unusual for me as I am a cotton paper prints lover: Alu-Dibond.
Essentially, my photo will be printed on a 3mm thick aluminum panel with a UV direct printing with 6-colors, and then will be mounted on a polyurethane foam panel. This should ensure both good color rendition and the product durability over time.
The order through Saa-Digital software
In a similar way to photobook, also the wall decorations preparation is done through the convenient Saal-Digital application available for both Win and Mac.
The order processing is really simple and intuitive: after choosing the product of interest, we can configure all its details. Saal-Digital suggests different standard sizes, but there is also a great possibility to design a personalized dimension to give a real boost to our creativity.
An important detail is that the application already allows you to indicate any media to hang the print. Specifically, we can choose from:
- No support
- Aluminium profile
- Standard fixing
- Spacers
- Since I have never used it before, I try to select the aluminum profile.
After the selection of all details, the application allows you to upload the photo to be printed. An interesting function is the automatic resolution control, which will automatically tell you if the uploaded image has a resolution too low to ensure a good quality print.
For my wall decoration, I chose to print my image “Distant Shores”
The printout
One of the most common problems with print laboratories is the quality of packages used for shipment. Saal-Digital on this point is really unbeatable. The wall decoration is really well protected, both from bumps (because of a very thick and hard packaging carton) and from scratches, thanks to the protective film between the cardboard and the wall decor.
The quality of the print is really good and really enjoyable. The color rendering is good and the detail output is really close to the original.
Aluminum printing is certainly not common and probably not suitable for any kind of image but the effect on the image I selected is certainly interesting: golden sand takes on wonderful reflections depending on the angle of vision and the incident light..it looks like a live and moving photo!
No doubt the high reflection can be a point of attention, so it is important to know in advance where the print is going to be hanged.
Conclusions
From the preparation of the file through the order management to the final printing, Saal-Digital reaches a quality level that is difficult to match.
Certainly, it is not the cheapest printing service that you will find online, but recent bankruptcy experiments tell me that, if you are also looking for a printing of absolute quality both in terms of materials and color rendering, you will not be able to accept compromises..and Saal-Digital does not really offer any compromise.
Again, thumb up for Saal-Digital!