Print Size versus Resolution

[wiseguy47]

Hey I was just wondering what the max size for printing from the Nikon D60. I am thinking about getting one of my photos enlarged around the 5 feet size but this is the part where megapixels and resolutions come into play and I am not 100% sure as to what the end result will be. Can anyone offer insight? or a website to help me out? Thanks!!

 

[Big Mike]

The usual 'standard' for photo quality prints is 300 pixels per inch....so going by that, your camera is good for around 13x8 inch prints.

However, you can easily up-size your digital images...and you don't need to have 300 PPI. Some people print from files at 150 PPI without issues. So you can probably go to 36x24 without too much of a problem.

Another thing to consider is the viewing distance. A 5 foot print isn't meant to be viewed with your nose pressed up against it. The viewer should be standing at least 10 feet away for a print that large....and at that distance, you can print with a lower resolution. Think of a billboard, up close they look pretty terrible but from 100 feet away, they look just fine.

Of course, there are other issues. For example, when you blow up an image, the good and the bad gets bigger. So any flaws in the image will be enlarged. This is where it really pays to get your shots to be as sharp as possible. Use a tripod with a remote shutter release. Use mirror lock up if you have it. Use a good quality lens at an optimum aperture....and so on.

There are also some creative printing editing or printing methods that can disguise a lower resolution image when printed large. Printing on Canvas for example.
I have a 50" x 30" canvas gallery wrap hanging on my wall. It was printed from a shot I took with an 8MP camera...and I think it looks great.

 

[KmH]

Any printer that can print that size will probably have the software necessary to up-size the image. You'll likely just upload the image you have and they'll handle the rest.