is my canon rebel XSi capable of producing large prints?

[niclp12]

HELP! I just recently did my first family photo shoot for a friend of mine. I shoot in RAW. I am currently in the process of editing the photos in LR3. Im going to edit all the photos, export to cd and give her the cd. She told me she is wanting to get atleast one picture I know of blown up to a 16x20 print. My question is -- when she goes to print these photos, how can i be sure they are going to turn out looking great? not pixelated or blurry etc? I know she will get prints done in several different sizes as well. 4x6, 5x7, 8x10, etc. I have cropped several of the pictures, will this make a difference? OR do i need to change the resolution in the export tab? I've read 300 ppi for all sizes for print? As you can tell, im very new at this and want to make sure I get it done right for her. thanks in advance!

 

[HughGuessWho]

300 DPI is a standard that many don’t agree with, however, at 300 DPI (NOT "PPI"), a 12 MP file should print about 12X18 without pixilation.

 

[Dominantly]

Is she set on that 16x20 ratio? If so, you'll have some cropping to do.

When you start cropping randomly, without a plan for print ratios, you can end up with some last minute crops that are less than desirable.
I would have a plan for cropping to the intended print ratio before you do any other crop adjustments.


Let's say you did no cropping, and your images were at a 2x3 ratio, then the friend of yours went to print at 5x7, 8x10, 10x14.... Your vision/composition for the photos are now being changed by the customer. Instead, you should fit your photos to match predetermined print sizes (useful if they already have frames).

So I recommend you work out her prints NOW so you can adjust for it.

 

[niclp12]

thanks for your responses! she is set on having a 16x20 print done. what shes wanting to do actually, is make a 16x20 picture with other pictures surrounding it. a collage. *sigh*
its for her mother for mothers day.

so, let me just make sure i understand this correctly? i can set it to 300 DPI and pics will come out clear? or set it higher or lower for a 16x20 and smaller prints?

thanks!

 

[HughGuessWho]

There is really no hard and fast answer to you question. The viewing distance has as much to do with the quality of the picture as does pixals. If viewed from 4 feet away, you can print as large as 40" on the long side, but I would want to view it any closer.

 

[Dominantly]

The PPI should not be arbitrarily adjusted, and before you go messing with it, you should research how it works...

Here is a good read: Printing > Which Resolution? > Long Answer > 1 - Print Size & Viewing Distance