Printing onto Aluminium is a new process that I am offering for some black and white photographs. The prints will NOT BE ARCHIVAL this must be stressed. So where as all other prints from Dotty Gallery have a very long life span due to the printing process, photographs printed onto aluminium have a life span of around 2 years before they may possibly begin to fade if left in a sunny position. I am not so much offering this choice as Fine Art Photography, but more as simply Fine Art.

It is a very interesting, and different, way of presenting the pictures and something which would be excellent for people who enjoy to have a change of artwork on the walls after a certain amount of time, but not for people looking to invest in art - the Large Format section or Digital and Medium Format section is where you should go for that.

The sizes of the black and white prints will be from about 20" x 26" upwards dependant on the image chosen. Please email for prices and more information if you'd like.

The aluminium used is anodised before printing occurs, below is the Wikipedia Definition of Anodising: -

"Anodizing, or anodising in British English, is an electrolytic passivation process used to increase the thickness of the natural oxide layer on the surface of metal parts. The process is called "anodizing" because the part to be treated forms the anode electrode of an electrical circuit. Anodizing increases corrosion resistance and wear resistance, and provides better adhesion for paint primers and glues than bare metal. Anodic films can also be used for a number of cosmetic effects, either with thick porous coatings that can absorb dyes or with thin transparent coatings that add interference effects to reflected light. Anodizing is also used to prevent galling of threaded components and to make dielectric films for electrolytic capacitors. Anodic films are most commonly applied to protect aluminium alloys, although processes also exist for titanium, zinc, magnesium, niobium, and tantalum. This process is not a useful treatment for iron or carbon steel because these metals exfoliate when oxidized; i.e. the iron oxide (also known as rust) flakes off, constantly exposing the underlying metal to corrosion.

Anodization changes the microscopic texture of the surface and changes the crystal structure of the metal near the surface. Thick coatings are normally porous, so a sealing process is often needed to achieve corrosion resistance. Anodized aluminium surfaces, for example, are harder than aluminium but have low to moderate wear resistance that can be improved with increasing thickness or by applying suitable sealing substances. Anodic films are generally much stronger and more adherent than most types of paint and metal plating, but also more brittle. This makes them less likely to crack and peel from aging and wear, but more susceptible to cracking from thermal stress."