Zor.com Alu-Dibond at a glance
- 3mm Dibond
- Sizes from 20x20cm to 120x80cm available
- 3M hanging system available (€4.95)
- Weather- and water-resistant
- From £2.76 (20x20cm)
- www.zor.com/en/
If you’d like a modern and stylish way of displaying your prized photos on the wall, opting to have a direct print made on aluminum can be an excellent choice. There are a number of online photo labs that specialise in such work, one of which is Zor.com – a Belgium-based lab offering Dibond aluminium printing in 13 standard sizes up to 120x80cm, with the option to create custom-size prints from as small as 20x20cm. Zor’s 3mm thick Dibond consists of a lowdensity core of polyethylene that’s sandwiched between two thin sheets of aluminum to give it strength and rigidity while remaining incredibly lightweight. This durable way of presenting images comes with the added benefit of being weather-resistant, water-resistant, rust proof and fade proof, allowing prints to be displayed outside as well as indoors.
The ordering process is hassle-free thanks to the easy-to-navigate website. After uploading my chosen image, sizes were clearly listed alongside pricing information. My only criticism is that pricing is listed in Euros not British pounds, despite there being an English version of the site. At the top of the website there’s a clear indication of the production time and my custom size (85x63cm) Dibond print came to £52 including delivery to the UK. The print arrived on time and undamaged, but the basic cardboard packaging was lacking fragile stickers. Inside the print was shrouded in bubble wrap with foam protecting the corners. An inspection of the print quality revealed excellent colour and detail rendition. The finish of the paper falls in-between glossy and matte so it’s neither too reflective nor too dull, but it would have been nice to have the option to choose the paper stock like some other photo labs offer. The overall quality of my final print was let down by some scruffy edges. Also the backing film of the Dibond was still attached, which I had to peel off before it could be mounted on the wall.
Zor.com Alu-Dibond – Our verdict
The ordering process and print quality of Zor’s Dibond aluminium print service is of a good standard, but in the case of my test the packaging and final finish could have been better. I had to spend time tidying up the edges with a scalpel, so don’t expect exhibition-quality prints out of the box. If you’re working to a budget and like the idea of displaying images on aluminium, Zor.com is worth a look as it’s cheaper than most photo labs. Just beware you may have to make some finishing touches yourself.
Until the end of June, Amateur Photographer readers can get 10% off Aluminium Prints, by using the voucher code “AmateurPhotographer10” at the Zor.com/en website.
Also consider
Through the Zor.com service you can order wall art and photo blocks on different backing materials. If you’d prefer something different to the aluminum Dibond service you may be interested in printing some images on acrylic glass or on Forex/PVC. The price of printing on Dibond and acrylic glass is the same (from €3.99 for a 30x20cm print), but the cost of printing on Forex/PVC is slightly cheaper (from €2.99 for a 30x20cm print).
