Max print sizes

[dklod]

Few quesitons in regards to printing. Is there an online table that shows you your maximum (before the pixels become too obvious) print size in relation to the resolution of your images or is there a basic rule of thumb or formula for working it out. Obviously all print shops are not the same, so what do I look for when selecting a place to print upwards of 10x8?? At what size to prints become labeled as "poster" size??

Cheers.

[TPF Sponsor]

[Mike30D]

It all depends all your image size.

If the size of the file is 2400x3600 then as you crop (not resizing) to different sizes, you would get..

2400 x 3600 =

4x6 @ 600 ppi

5x7 @ 480 ppi

8x10 @ 300 ppi

10x13 @ 240 ppi

11x14 @ 218 ppi

16x20 @ 150 ppi

or if it's 1800 x 2700 then,

1800 x 2700 =

4x6 @ 450 ppi

5x7 @ 360 ppi

8x10 @ 225 ppi

10x13 @ 180 ppi

11x14 @ 163 ppi

16x20 @ 112 ppi

What's the size of your image files?

Poster size is around 20x30 I think, maybe bigger.

[Big Mike]

There are plenty of factors at work here.

The usual standard is that you want 300 pixels per linear inch of print. You can print with less though, and get good results.

You can use software (photoshop etc) to 'up sample' images to add pixels to them. This will degrade the image quality...but you can usually up sample quite a bit before it gets ugly.

The sharper the image, the better it will look on a print and the better it will look when blown up. To maximize sharpness, you can do things like shooting at an optimum aperture, using a tripod, remote and mirror lock up...using a good quality lens will help as well.

Also, you need to consider the viewing distance. A bill board looks great when you drive buy...but it probably looks like crap when you view it from a foot away. The bigger the size of the print, the farther away you are meant to view it. So you can make whatever size print you want, but it may not look as good as you want, until you back up to the proper distance.

[dklod]

Thanks Mike's. The image size is 14mp (4672x2628). Im not looking at a massive print, just something to nicely frame and hang on a wall. not sure what size exactly yet.