Custom Acrylic Prints: A Variety Of Options
Below is a guide highlighting our many options for custom acrylic prints. If you know what you want and want to get started, you can begin configuring your acrylic prints here.
Acrylic Sizes
Max Size. The max size we can go with our acrylic product depends on the thickness of the acrylic. For 1/8" and 1/4" the max is 96x48 (48x48 square). For 1/2" it's 40x30 and for the 1" blocks sizes are limited to 5x5, 7x7, 10x10, 15x15, 6x4, 9x6, 12x8, 15x10, 18x12, 8x6, 12x9, 12x4, 16x4 & 20x6.
Min Size. We have done very small acrylic prints in the 3" range (no hanging hardware of course) for custom projects and can certainly do tiny acrylic prints for your next project as well. We do have a $100 minimum for custom projects though. The smallest we can do for hanging on the wall is 6" on the smallest side.
Sizes In 1/4" Increments. We can do any size within the limitations above down to the 1/4". So for example, we can do a 23.25x30.75 no problem, but custom sizes do cost a little more than our standard stocked sizes which you can see here.
Acrylic Thickness
We offer the acrylic in 1/8″, 1/4″ and 1/2″ as well as 1" blocks. Generally, the thicker you go, you'll get a bit more vibrancy particularly with a good light source or lots of natural light. You'll also get more of a 3D effect on the side, but all our acrylic products look great regardless of the thickness you choose.
1/8" - Budget friendlier and doesn't necessarily need a polished edge since not as prominent on the edge. The routed and sanded edge still looks nice, just more opaque. We can do up to 96x48" with the 1/8".
1/4" - This thickness is more common in a gallery configuration and the polished edge is recommended. We can also do up to 96x48" with this thickness, but we typically recommend the thinner 1/8" acrylic at very large sizes.
1/2" - The half inch is far less common and you won't see many labs offering it, but it's a terrific look since you get more of a 3D side and a more substantial look on the wall. The polished edge is required with this option and the max size is 40x30".
1" Block - These make for a great gift and can standalone making it a nice option for a desk or shelf. You also have the option to hang these! Sizes are limited in the blocks and we can't do custom sizes unless ordering several at a time. See more about our acrylic photo blocks here.
Acrylic Type
We have three types of acrylic that we can offer our customers - our regular acrylic, TruLife acrylic and an anti-glare acrylic. About 75% of our customers opt for the standard acrylic.
Standard Acrylic. Our standard acrylic is by far what we sell the most of. It's a high grade cast acrylic made for face mounting with 75% UV protection. It does require a special cleaning solution so you can't use cleaners like Windex.
TruLife Acrylic. This is a premium acrylic that offers some advantages over our regular acrylic but is only offered in the 1/8" thickness and is quite a bit more expensive (ie about $100 more for a 36x24). TruLife provides about 25% glare reduction (in our estimation), better scratch resistance, 99% UV protection, anti-static properties (less dust) and can be cleaned with regular cleaners like Windex.
Anti-Glare Acrylic. For most of our customers, reflections aren't a concern, but we understand the need for anti-glare acrylic depending on the location of the installation. This is only available in 1/8" thick acrylic at this time and cost is about 15-20% more. Please note that is not a non-glare acrylic. There will still be some glare and by our estimations reduces glare closer to 40-50% .. so a bit more than TruLife. However, it doesn't have the additional benefits that the TruLife has.
Acrylic Backer
If your acrylic print isn't adhered to the wall with standoff bolts then a backer becomes very important and provides rigidity to the acrylic as well as a place to attach the floating and hanging hardware. While we can produce acrylic prints with standoff bolts (more on that below), we prefer the floating off the wall look with hidden float and hanging hardware.
Dibond. A gallery quality acrylic print really should be backed with dibond particularly at large sizes. Dibond is an aluminum composite material with a rigid plastic core providing a lightweight but strong backer to help keep the acrylic from bowing over time. Some companies will cut costs in order to sell these cheaper by using sintra or a comparable cheaper material. Some are even attaching the float and hanging hardware directly to the print. This can lead to big issues down the road so be careful. Our dibond is white and we don't provide color options online, but we can do a black dibond back custom for you. The first image below shows the sandwiched print between the acrylic and dibond. The 2nd image shows the white dibond back and our aluminum subframe with french cleat hang system. Details on hanging options below.
Acrylic. What? Back an acrylic print with more acrylic? Yes! Using thick acrylic (1/4", 1/2" or 3/8") and sticking to smaller sizes (about 40x30 and below), backing with acrylic can provide a beautiful designer acrylic print and provide the necessary rigidity. Given the overall increase in weight, this option does require our full aluminum subframe/french cleat hang system. Here are a couple shots of our new Acrylic Designer Series prints that use 3/8" thick colored acrylic (white or black) as the backer. Beautiful and only at Bumblejax! Get more info on our Acrylic Designer Series prints and order here.
Acrylic Edge Finish
You have two options on the acrylic edge - routed/sanded vs polished. The polished edge is more important as you go with the thicker acrylic since you will get more of a 3D effect. With 1/8" thick acrylic, the polished edge isn't as necessary (customers that want that vibrant acrylic look while saving a bit go with 1/8" acrylic, no polish). With the 1/4" thick acrylic we recommend it. It is required with our 1/2" and 1" thick acrylic products.
Routed & Sanded. This is the default edge and included in the base price of our acrylic print product. The edge will look nice, it will just be opaque and not see through.
Diamond Polished. This is the nicer edge and is an upgrade option for you. We diamond polish the edge to a clear, see-through edge. This option currently only available up to 45x30".
Acrylic Hanging Options
We have a few hanging options for our customers and it depends on the space, the customer and the size.
Wood/Wire. This is the default hanging system included in the price of our base acrylic print product up to 40x30". Most of our customers prefer it because it's much easier and faster to hang it along with being cheaper. No tools required!
French Cleat (Aluminum & Wood). Our aluminum subframe and french cleat system is a more elegant look and is popular with our reseller customers and those hanging in a public space that want a bit more of a secure hanging solution. For larger sizes above 40x30", the default hang system is a kiln-dried doug fir wood subframe and french cleat system and included in the price. You have the option of upgrading to aluminum for these large sizes as well.
*Standoff Bolts. Not available yet in our online order system - contact us for pricing and details. We don't get too many requests for this, but can do it for you. We offer this hanging system in the 1/4" and 1/2" acrylic with no dibond backer.
From left to right - the wood/wire, aluminum subframe/cleat & wood subframe/cleat
Acrylic Multi Panels - Diptych & Triptych
We get quite a few requests to split an image into panels. If you'd like to split your photo into a few acrylic prints panels we can do that for you! You don't have the ability to split an image into panels in our online ordering system unless you split the image first then configure each panel. If you're not comfortable splitting the image and/or not sure how large you can go, you can send us your photo and we'll review it to see how large it can go and split it for you. We can even do a mockup for you to show you how it would look split at no extra charge.
The most popular splits are into 2 and 3 panels, called a diptych and triptych. Splitting a photo like this can allow you to span a larger space for a more dramatic effect! Contact us today if you'd like to do a project like this.
Options We Can't Do
Direct To Acrylic Printing. We don't do direct to acrylic printing where the ink is infused into the acrylic. Our focus is on gallery quality acrylic prints with optimal color gamut and permanence using pigment based inkjet inks printed to high quality photo paper. The direct to acrylic printing can be a nice option if you're looking for signage or other applications that require a transparent background.
Acrylic Circles. We aren't able to do any custom shapes such as circles with our acrylic prints.
Traditional Framing. Sometimes we get asked for traditional frames around the acrylic prints, but this isn't something we offer at this time. We have had customers order our acrylic prints excluding the floating and hanging hardware and they have it framed locally.
Backlit Acrylic. We don't offer any kind of backlit product. An LED backlit box behind the acrylic can be a great look in modern spaces, but finding a power source near the art and hiding a power cord can be challenging. Since the acrylic refracts light, our acrylic prints can appear to be backlit if you have good overhead art lighting and metallic paper.
