printing question

[Erinw417]

I'm wanting to do a canvas print for my mom for christmas and I was wondering if anyone knew what size I can get up to before I get distortion issues. I have a Nikkon D3000. I would love to do a 12x18 but I'm afraid it will come back totally blurred and be no good.

 

[dots]

What's the pixel dimensions of your file (at the moment)?

 

[Erinw417]

Haven't taken it yet, what is the best way to save it for larger pictures?

 

[KmH]

Just be sure the camera is set to JPEG, Fine, Large (which should be the default setting).

Your D3000 makes photos that have a 3:2 aspect ratio which is the same aspect ratio as a 12x18 so you won't have to do any cropping.

Just upload the photo to the print lab and their RIP software will handle the sizing for you.

 

[Kimmy1210]

I thought it was best to take all pictures in RAW & save in TIFF for best quality?

 

[KmH]

If you know how to edit the Raw file, and understand color management.

I only save as TIFF for commercial clients that antisipate editing my image, other wise I save the Raw, any Photoshop edits as layered .PSD files, and print or web files as JPEG.

For prints, a human can't see the difference between a TIFF file and a JPEG file. TIFF files are a lot bigger (and take a lot longer to upload) than JPEG files.

 

[Erinw417]

So TIFF is larger then a JPEG? Sorry I'm somewhat of a noob at files lol.

 

[KmH]

The file size of a TIFF is larger than the file size of the same image as a JPEG.

JPEG can only have an 8-bit color depth, and JPEG cannot have any layers. TIFF can have either an 8-bit or 16-bit color depth, layers, or no layers.

TIFF files that are 16-bit and have layers are bigger than 16-bit TIFF files with no layers and 8-bit TIFF files are smaller still.

Image Files
Understanding Bit Depth
Understanding Image Types: JPEG & TIFF
Understanding RAW Files: Why Should I Use RAW?

 

[JimCoventry]

I shoot now with a Canon 5D, but at one time I had a D60. I shot in jpg and have prints that are 30x40 from it. Just be careful not to save the file too many times in jpg due to the lossy virtues of the jpg algorithm.

 

[KmH]

A Canon D60 or a Nikon D60?

 

[Erinw417]

Ok thanks everyone for the help. It's very much appreciated.