Help with poster size prints.

[oldhippy]

DPI for poster size print of bee
DPI is 240 size 1184x1294 Jpg. Here's my quandary, Walmart say the pic is low res for an 11x14 poster.
I really want the detail to show. I know that this crop left the values I listed. Should I expect the detail to match what I see on my monitor at that size. Am I ordering wrong. Do I need another outlet to print this.
maybe my order skills are wrong. If you guys aren't to busy, some help appreciated. Thanks Ed.
will add picture if it will help.

 

[AR76]

- The best result is achieved when the resolution of your image matches the native resolution of the machine it will be printed on. (PPI/DPI)
- The larger the print, the lower you can go with the print resolution as large prints are not meant to be viewed up close. (Photo vs. billboard eg.)

I could write a very lengthy thread, but someone's already done that and added a neat enlargement calculator aswell.
Check out: MP and Maximum Print Size / Optimizing Digital Photo Enlargment and maybe the tutorials on color management and printing they offer.
I've enjoyed their articles and hope you find them usefull aswell

 

[Derrel]

I would create another file, up-rezzing the image in software to 360ppi. I would reallllly think that WalMart's exceedingly expensive printing machines have multi-thousand dollar RIPs (Raster Image Processors) that can easily take a smallish JPEG like that, one that's already at 240 ppi, and easily make a decent 11x14.

Yes, there will be some "wastage" on the long ends...11x14 "throws away" a good deaL of the image on the long axis....but it is also not a super-big print size. I do think however that at close examination distance, the fine detail might be a bit lacking. Buuuuuut, an 11x14 is often viewed as a wall print, or a mantle print size, so it'll look perfectly FINE from 5,6,7,8,10,15,20 feet away.

My feeling is that WalMart is being conservative, and warning people [you] in advance, preemptively, so as to let them know that that many pixels at 240 enlarged to 11x14 is not going to look razor-sharp on the finest details. But it ought to be okay I think if it's up-sampled by them, and their machine's RIP. Orrrrrrr...you could do that yourself by exporting the image after up-sizing it using your own software.

 

[AR76]

I think enlargents are best done on your computer, Lightroom is a great tool to do this. One of the links I've posted shows the different effects the available methods have on your image.
Some printers run at 300 some at 360 ppi. Generally this is 360 ppi for Epson printers, and 300 ppi for HP, Canon and other printers.

 

[KmH]

1184 px / 240 ppi = 4.9 inches. not 11 inches. (it's not dpi)

1184 px / 11 inches = 107.6 ppi.

What is Walmart's minimum print resolution? If it is 110 ppi or higher your 1184 pixels fail to meet their minimum print resolution requirements.

1294 px / 240 ppi = 5.39 inches not 14 inches.

14 / 11 = 1.27 - the aspect ratio of an 11x14. The long side (14") is 1.27 times longer than the short (11") side

1294 px / 1184 px = 1.09 - the aspect ratio of your photo.

Your photo's aspect ratio cannot be printed as an 11x14. It would print almost square as an 11x12.

1294 px / 1.27 a.r.= 1187.
1294 px - 1187 px = 107 px
To print an 11 x 14 you will need to crop 107 pixels from the long side of your photo and increase the image resolution.

Image resolution (1294 px x 1187 px) and print resolution (ppi) are different things.

 

[71M]

DPI for poster size print of bee
DPI is 240 size 1184x1294 Jpg. Here's my quandary, Walmart say the pic is low res for an 11x14 poster.
I really want the detail to show. I know that this crop left the values I listed. Should I expect the detail to match what I see on my monitor at that size. Am I ordering wrong. Do I need another outlet to print this.
maybe my order skills are wrong. If you guys aren't to busy, some help appreciated. Thanks Ed.
will add picture if it will help.

Give them a 3300x4200 pixel image.

 

[Derrel]

Your photo's aspect ratio cannot be printed as an 11x14. It would print almost square as an 11x12.

Well...any lab CAN easily print him an 11x14 inch final image...but they will have to crop the bejeebers out of it to do so. There will be ample image "wastage", as I call it.

Just like printing 35mm 3:2 aspect ratio images at 11x14, one throws away a ton of image, but one can,indeed, fill an 11x14 inch piece of paper with an image that would naturally fall onto 11x12 inches' worth of paper. THat must "wastage" might hurt the picture terribly...or...it might improve it...

Which brings up the question: does the lab offer a "bordered" option? If so, they would most likely print the image on 11x14-inch paper, but leave the two "sides" with one-inch white borders, and bleed print the top and bottom edges right up to the 11-inch dimension.