enlarging old portrait - size and method

[mmm97m]

I have an old picture - about 2.5" x 4.5" - that I'd like to get scanned and enlarged. I have several questions about this.

I was thinking about a wall portrait, so I've been looking at 11x14 frames until I realized that I'd like to keep the entire picture, not crop it down.
I don't know whether to get a custom frame or go with a standard size and use a weighted mat. I'm sure it's a little about taste, but if any of you have a suggestion, I would appreciate it.

Also, a cousin scanned it at res of 500dpi with his flatbed and saved it as a bmp, but I'm assuming this is not the most favorable way to get a high quality scan. I've had negatives professionally scanned before, but is it something I need to do with this old photo? There is no negative for this one.

I plan to run Photoshop autolevels on it, rubber stamp out some creases, and that's all I know to do. it's b&w...if you ahve any other quick suggestions to getting it ready to enlarge, I'd love it!

 

[Torus34]

I get the feeling that you don't yet have a firm idea of exactly what you want the final framed picture to look like. Once you have this well in hand, the path will become clear.

 

[Digital Matt]

If you want to make an 11x14 from a wallet sized photo, you'll need a very high res scan of at least 1200 dpi (the higher the better). Take it to a lab that has a good flatbed scanner.

 

[mmm97m]

Thanks!