Metal prints have a look that stops people mid-scroll. Color seems to glow from the surface, edges are clean and modern, and the finished piece is ready to hang the day it arrives. For artists, that makes metal one of the most rewarding formats to add to a print shop, especially for bold color, photography and digital work.

This guide explains what a metal print is, how the gloss, satin and matte aluminum finishes differ, how metal compares with canvas and photo prints, and how to sell metal wall art with print-on-demand so you never have to buy or store inventory. If you are new to Brakebee's print-on-demand, our <a href="/print-on-demand">print-on-demand for artists</a> page covers the basics, and this article focuses on everything specific to metal.

A metal print is artwork printed onto a specially coated aluminum panel. Brakebee metal prints are made with dye sublimation, a process that uses heat and pressure to turn inks into a gas that bonds into the coating on the aluminum. The image becomes part of the surface itself, which is why metal prints have such depth and why the color looks so luminous under light.

That bonded surface is also what makes metal practical for collectors. Brakebee metal prints are scratch, water and UV resistant, so they hold up well in kitchens, bathrooms, offices and bright rooms where paper might be at risk. Every Brakebee metal print comes with hanging hardware included, so your buyer can unbox it and put it on the wall without a trip to the framer.

The finish you choose changes how a piece reads on the wall. Brakebee offers aluminum in three finishes, and matching each artwork to the right one is an easy way to make your shop feel considered.

A good starting approach is to offer satin as the default for most pieces, add gloss for work with intense color or deep blacks, and offer matte for buyers who plan to hang art in bright, sunny spaces.

Many buyers compare metal with canvas before they decide, so it helps to know how they differ and to offer both when a piece suits each. Brakebee prints on gallery wrap canvas and gloss or matte photo paper as well as aluminum, so you can let the buyer choose the look they want.

Dye-sublimated onto aluminum with luminous color and a sleek, modern edge. Scratch, water and UV resistant, with hanging hardware included.

Metal print

The image wraps around the edges for a classic, textured look that suits paintings and traditional work.

Gallery wrap canvas

Crisp detail in gloss or matte, ideal for framing and for buyers who want to choose their own frame.

Photo print

As a rule of thumb, metal suits modern spaces and color-forward work, canvas suits a traditional or painterly feel, and photo prints suit buyers who like to frame. Offering two or three formats of your best sellers gives every buyer a version that fits their home.

Metal rewards strong color and contrast. Bold abstracts, vivid landscapes, cityscapes at night, wildlife photography and digital illustration tend to look striking because the surface makes saturated colors glow. Deep blacks and bright highlights both benefit from the depth of the finish.

Soft, muted work can still look beautiful on metal, especially on the matte or satin finish, though it may feel more at home on canvas or photo paper. Very textured originals such as heavy impasto paintings will print as a flat image of that texture, so describe it honestly in your listing.

If you are unsure, order a sample of one piece in metal and one in canvas and hang them side by side. Your own eye and the reactions of people who visit your studio will tell you quickly which format suits your work.

Metal shows detail clearly, so start with the best file you have. Use a high-resolution scan or photograph of the original, with accurate color and the image cropped cleanly to the edges of the artwork. Keep a full-resolution master file and export from it whenever you add a new size.

Pay attention to color. Because metal can make colors look more saturated, a file that already looks very intense on screen may print bolder than you expect. Viewing a sample is the most reliable way to confirm that your colors land where you want them. Check the aspect ratio of your artwork against the sizes you plan to offer as well, so you know in advance whether a piece needs a crop.

Brakebee offers metal prints in the most common sizes artists sell, from small pieces for shelves and gallery walls up to large statement sizes. Offering a small, a medium and a large version of each piece is a simple way to start, since it gives buyers an easy entry point, a popular middle option and a showpiece for a large wall.

As orders come in, add sizes to the pieces that sell well. Your sales data will show which sizes your audience prefers for each style of work.

Price metal prints with the same method you use for any print. Start with what each print costs you to produce and ship, add platform and payment fees, and then add the profit you want to earn on every sale, and treat that total as your floor. From there, compare your prices with artists whose style and audience are similar to yours, and make sure larger sizes and premium finishes are priced so each option earns its keep. Our step-by-step guide on <a href="/articles/sell-prints-online">how to sell prints of your art</a> walks through the full pricing method.

With print-on-demand, a metal print is made only after a customer orders it and ships straight to that customer. That means you can list every finish and size of every piece without buying stock, and a new piece can go on sale the same day you finish the file.

Brakebee orders usually turn around in hours to a day, and you are paid after products ship. Along with your Brakebee shop, you can connect marketplaces including Etsy, Shopify, TikTok Shop, Wayfair, Walmart, Amazon, eBay and Faire, with more coming soon, so your metal prints can reach buyers wherever they shop. If you want to offer limited edition runs of a metal piece, we explain how they work when you sign up.

See how print-on-demand works for artists

Print-on-demand fits most artists selling online. If you also sell at art fairs or to wholesale buyers and want stock on hand, our guide to <a href="/articles/print-lab-vs-print-on-demand">print lab vs print-on-demand</a> explains when a bulk order makes sense. For a look at other labs, see our guide to the <a href="/articles/best-pro-photo-labs">best pro photo labs for artists</a>, and to compare platforms, read about the <a href="/articles/best-print-on-demand-for-artists">best print-on-demand for artists</a>.

Building a collection around your metal prints

Metal works best as part of a wider range. Many buyers who love a piece on metal will look for the same image in another format, so it helps to offer your strongest work across several surfaces. Alongside aluminum, Brakebee prints giclée, gallery wrap canvas and gloss or matte photo prints, and archival inks are used for artist prints. You can also turn the same artwork into custom products such as notecards, coasters, calendars, keychains and printed decor, which give fans an easy way to buy into your work. See how all of these fit together on our <a href="/print-on-demand">print-on-demand for artists</a> page.

Metal's shine makes it beautiful in person and tricky to photograph. Shoot finished samples in soft, indirect light and at a slight angle to avoid reflections of yourself or the room. Room mockups help buyers picture the piece on their wall, and a close-up of the edge shows off the clean, modern finish.

In your listing, say plainly that the print is dye-sublimated onto aluminum, name the finish, and mention that it is scratch, water and UV resistant with hanging hardware included. Those details answer the questions buyers have about metal and give them confidence to order. Add alt text to every image that describes the artwork and the format.

If you would like a fully branded home for your art alongside your shop and marketplaces, Brakebee also builds <a href="/custom-sites">custom artist websites</a> that can showcase your metal prints with the rest of your work.

Metal is one of the most striking ways to share your work, and print-on-demand lets you offer it in every finish and size without risk. Pick a few pieces with strong color, choose the finishes that suit them, and get your first metal prints listed.

Sources. Brakebee metal prints: dye-sublimated; scratch, water and UV resistant; hanging hardware included; most common sizes offered. Brakebee, confirmed Oct 14, 2026. Brakebee aluminum finishes, giclée, archival inks for artist prints, custom products, gallery wrap canvas, photo prints, print-on-demand fulfillment, turnaround, payout after products ship, marketplace connectors and limited edition runs: Brakebee, confirmed Oct 13, 2026. No competitor or third-party claims are made in this article.

Glossy metal print of a teal and purple abstract painting standing beside the title Metal Prints for Artists

What metal prints are, gloss vs satin vs matte aluminum, metal vs canvas, and how artists sell metal wall art on demand without holding inventory.

Metal Prints for Artists: Selling Metal Wall Art On Demand

Metal Prints for Artists: How to Sell Metal Wall Art With Print-on-Demand

If you photograph weddings, run a portrait studio or sell your own art, there is a good chance you already know McKenna Pro. The lab in Cedar Falls, Iowa has built its name on products for professional photographers, and many artists first learn about metal prints, albums and canvas through a lab like it.

This review looks at what McKenna Pro makes, how its ordering tools work and what to check before you order ChromaLuxe metal prints from the lab. The last part covers a different job that many artists eventually take on, which is selling prints to collectors online, and how Brakebee helps with that. Every fact about McKenna below comes from the lab's own website, checked on October 14, 2026.¹

McKenna describes itself with the line "Exceptional Products for Professional Photographers" and notes that its products are proudly made in Iowa.¹ The lab is based at 3105 Capital Way in Cedar Falls and lists phone support on weekdays during Central Time business hours.¹

The product range leans toward what photographers deliver to their clients. Here is what the lab features on its homepage today.

McKenna makes its metal prints with ChromaLuxe material, using high heat to fuse the image into aluminum.² The lab offers four finishes. Glossy has brilliant whites and high shine, semi-gloss has a similar look with less glare, matte has a satin feel with minimal glare, and metallic uses a clear base that lets the aluminum show through lighter areas of the image.²

Sizes run from 4x4 up to 38x58, and custom sizes are available at an additional charge.² Each McKenna metal print comes with a metal hanger and clear wall bumpers, and display upgrades include an easel back, Stand Out mounts, a Gallery Frame Stand Out mount, a Post Stand Out mount and rod and rings.² McKenna lists a turnaround of one to two days for metal and describes its finishes as UV and scratch resistant.²

If metal is a format you want to sell to collectors, our guide to <a href="https://brakebee.com/articles/metal-prints-for-artists">metal prints for artists</a> covers finishes, file prep and selling metal wall art online.

McKenna offers ordering software built for different kinds of photography businesses. Easy Order is its general ordering tool, and Sports &amp; Events 2.0 is built for sports and event photographers, with drag-and-drop sports templates.¹

The lab also partners with PhotoDay, a studio workflow platform that covers the path from capture to checkout. Through that partnership, studios can automate emails, simplify ordering and offer McKenna products to their clients.¹ For a school, sports or event photographer, that pairing handles a lot of the busywork between the shoot and the delivered print.

Before you order ChromaLuxe metal prints: a checklist

A metal print is a big investment of time and money for you or your client, so it pays to make a few decisions before you place the order. These points follow the options McKenna lists for its ChromaLuxe metal prints, and they are good questions to ask whichever lab you use.

McKenna publishes size-by-size price lists on its product pages and runs promotions from time to time, so the lab's own site is the best place to check current pricing before you order.²

McKenna Pro is built around photographers who deliver finished products to their own clients. Wedding and family photographers get albums, Layflat Press Books and Art Blocks. School, sports and event photographers get ordering software and the PhotoDay partnership. Photographers and artists who want a durable wall piece get a wide range of metal sizes, finishes and mounts.

In each case, the photographer handles the client relationship and places the order. That works well when you already have clients who are paying for a session or a package.

From ordering prints to selling them: meet Brakebee

Many artists reach a point where they want strangers to find and buy their work, and they would rather skip buying prints up front and storing stock. That is the job Brakebee is built for.

With Brakebee print-on-demand, you list your prints on the Brakebee marketplace and in your own shop. When a collector pays, our Phoenix lab prints, packs and ships the order, and it is free to start.³ Brakebee aluminum metal prints come in gloss, satin and matte finishes, they are scratch, water and UV resistant, and hanging hardware comes with every one.⁴ You can read how it all works on our <a href="https://brakebee.com/print-on-demand">print-on-demand page</a>.

The Brakebee marketplace is a curated marketplace that connects verified artists and studios with buyers.³ If you want your own website as well, <a href="https://brakebee.com/custom-sites">Brakebee Custom Sites</a> builds a site around your work with a shop, checkout, prints and a connection to the marketplace.⁵

You place each order, pay for the prints and deliver them to the client. It works well for sessions, albums and packages you sell directly.

Ordering from a pro lab for clients

Collectors find your work and buy it online, and each print is made and shipped after the sale. It works well for selling art to people you have never met.

Selling prints with print-on-demand

You can keep both. Plenty of photographers keep ordering client work from their usual lab and use Brakebee to sell art prints to the public. Our guide to <a href="https://brakebee.com/articles/print-lab-vs-print-on-demand">print lab vs print-on-demand</a> walks through how the two models compare.

Where this fits in the Selling Art Prints series

This is the sixth article in our Selling Art Prints series. If you are starting from the beginning, our overview of <a href="https://brakebee.com/articles/best-print-on-demand-for-artists">print-on-demand for artists</a> compares the main options. The step-by-step guide on <a href="https://brakebee.com/articles/sell-prints-online">how to sell prints online</a> covers listing, pricing and promotion. To compare McKenna with other professional labs, see <a href="https://brakebee.com/articles/best-pro-photo-labs">best pro photo labs for artists</a>.

If you already know your way around a pro lab, you have done the hard part of learning what makes a great print. Put your best pieces in front of collectors with Brakebee print-on-demand.

1. McKenna Pro, homepage: tagline, Made in Iowa, product categories, Layflat Press Books, Art Blocks, Pivot Prints, PhotoDay partnership, Easy Order and Sports &amp; Events 2.0, address and hours. mckennapro.com, accessed Oct 14, 2026.

2. McKenna Pro, Metal Prints product page: ChromaLuxe material, heat fusing, four finishes, size range, custom sizes, included hanger and bumpers, display upgrades, turnaround, UV and scratch resistance, published price list. mckennapro.com, accessed Oct 14, 2026.

3. Brakebee, print-on-demand page: marketplace and own-shop listing, Phoenix lab printing and shipping, free to start, curated marketplace. Confirmed Oct 14, 2026.

4. Brakebee, Metal Prints for Artists article: aluminum metal prints in gloss, satin and matte aluminum, scratch, water and UV resistance, hanging hardware included. Confirmed Oct 14, 2026.

5. Brakebee, Custom Sites page: shop, checkout, prints and marketplace connection. Confirmed Oct 14, 2026.

Facts about McKenna Pro reflect its website on the date accessed and may change.

Metal and canvas art prints laid out on a studio worktable

A fair McKenna Pro review for artists: ChromaLuxe metal prints, albums and ordering software, plus how to sell your prints online with print-on-demand.

McKenna Pro Review: ChromaLuxe Metal, Ordering, and Selling Prints

You may already order from McKenna Pro. Here is an honest look at what the Iowa lab makes and how it works, followed by how Brakebee helps artists sell their prints.