WhiteWall: the proof of the online photo lab
Over the years, photography has radically transformed. Photography before the digital age was only such when we touched it with our hands. The photograph was on paper. Today we are in a world where millions of images are enjoyed every day, some that even vanish after 24 hours. Today photography is volatile, fast and direct. Today photography is no longer on paper.
And it's a huge shame, because seeing your own printed images is still exciting. But I'm not accusing anyone of anything, mine is simply an observation of the evolution we have lived and are still living today. And I'm not even telling you to go back to the photo lab - if you still find one - to print all the photographs taken during a vacation. Not even making family albums. At the most I would like to suggest that you take a look at your image libraries, whether they are on a smartphone, on a cloud service or even simply saved in random order on your computer. Observe, make a selection and choose at least one. And then print it.
Read also: How to choose the right camera
And even if we no longer smell the analog development of yesteryear, the effect of holding a print is always nice. This operation is exactly what I just did.
To do this I decided to contact an online laboratory, there are many, and after a careful selection, I chose WhiteWall. It is a laboratory born in Germany in 2004 from Alexander Nieswandt's passion for photography. The choice was not at all casual, WhiteWall is one of the most exploited laboratories also by professionals and galleries, because the care with which the photographs are printed, framed and coated is maniacal. In a short time - and thanks to the internet - the laboratory crossed national borders, offering fast services and incredibly punctual shipments.
But WhiteWall is not just for professionals, there are offers of all kinds and for all budgets. It can be printed on paper, canvas, aluminum and many other materials. There are also many formats available to choose from and very elegant frames are also available.
As with any online service we know, a registration is required before proceeding with the order. It's a quick and easy practice. Once the user has been created, it will be possible to upload your own photographs in JPEG format with a maximum weight of 2GB. This immediately makes it clear that even very large formats can be printed without difficulty. Once the photograph to be printed and uploaded to the site has been chosen, we will be guided in the choice of support and format thanks to some advice that the system gives us, indicating the best combination based on the file.
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Everything is always accompanied by a column in which all the details of our order are shown, including the price. There will never be any surprises from this point of view: every change is followed by an update of the final price. Consider that you can start from a few euros for a print on small photographic paper, up to several hundred euros for the most valuable supports and large formats.
For my test I chose two formats and two different supports: lwith UltraHD photo print behind acrylic glass, and the LightJet printing on Ilford B / W paper. The first option is the true flagship of WhiteWall and it is no coincidence that it is often the preferred choice of many professionals for their own exhibitions.
Ultra HD print behind acrylic glass
But what exactly is an Ultra HD print behind acrylic glass? It is soon said. In the WhiteWall laboratory everything is perfectly organized, thus offering a first-rate service: once the photograph is received, if it is not already equipped with the suitable color profile (you can download it from the site and apply it directly to the images), it is optimized for printing by a dedicated team that will start the production.
The photograph is then printed with great precision on paper Fujifilm Crystal DP Maxima. The next step is to fix the print on a 3mm thick aluminum Dibond support, on which systems are already set up to attach the photograph to a wall. To close this sort of sandwich there is the layer that is applied over the photograph through a special silicone with permanent elasticity. This last layer is acrylic glass, a light and unbreakable material that gives additional brilliance to the colors creating a feeling of three-dimensionality. The photograph almost seems to come to life.
Furthermore, this special glass increases the stability to light and therefore also the duration of the color over time. The photograph will therefore remain unchanged and with the same brilliance for a long time.
These techniques are certainly a great help for an impactful rendering, but the printing itself has its weight too. I deliberately chose an image that is difficult to manage in print, with areas in shadow and almost overexposed: the final result is really excellent, natural colors and faithful to the file sent by me with incredibly sharp details. The result is, if possible, even higher than expected.
Ultra HD printing behind acrylic glass is certainly a high quality product, ideal for setting up exhibitions, but also for decorating the home. And as such, it also comes at a price that might discourage many: to make my Ultra HD print behind 40x30cm acrylic glass, I needed 100 euro.
LightJet print on Ilford B / W paper
The second product I wanted to test from the WhiteWall lab is a more classic one black and white print. Also in this case, despite the fact that we are dealing with a decidedly cheaper product (but I have not chosen any type of support other than printing), the quality is not in question.
WhiteWall performs some paper treatments to increase durability: the polyethylene image support is left to soak for a long time and the silver used for this procedure will prevent the photo from losing brilliance over time.
In the product description we talk about high sensitivity to whites and blacks and that is why I chose a photo rich in shades of gray and with many contrasts. The result? Really excellent, also enhanced by the opaque film applied to protect the original print.
This type of print can be customized in different ways, adding a white border as if it were a museum passe-partout or combining it for example with a frame. But above all, the use of large format printers allows the user to choose the exact size in which to print their photograph, up to a maximum size of 240x122mm.
I chose to print a 50x40cm file and the cost this time was € 24,95.
WhiteWall: great quality printing, but at what price?
With WhiteWall we are certainly on the safe side when looking for an online photo lab: really high quality and excellent service in every aspect. Shipping is also carried out with the utmost care, the prints are packed in packages created ad hoc for that type of product and arrive at their destination by express courier.
What might be puzzling is the price. Is that a lot of 100 euros to print your own photograph on a support like Ultra HD printing behind acrylic glass? Maybe, but the product I received is made with the same care with which a print for an exhibition of some great photographer is made in the same laboratory. And it shows. All the materials used are excellent and the print quality is excellent.
If, therefore, 100 euros for a 40x30cm print may seem like a lot, for Ultra HD photography behind acrylic glass I think it is a fair amount. The quality of the products and the service, as always, are paid for.
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