res for printing

[MalHavoc]

Hi all,

I'm thinking of turning some images into prints for my house. I'd like to go at least 16x20, maybe even larger, and I was wondering what resolution to aim for, minimum, to guarantee a good quality print. Obviously, image file format plays a role here too, but I'm assuming I can either get TIFF or RAW versions of a lot of the images I want to use.

Thanks,

Jason

 

[Ognid]

res for printing

Hello
Here is a good link for some info you might want.
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/und_resolution.shtml
I do alot of prints myself and get the best results with TIFF images at 3000 X 2000 or bigger for the best quality big prints. The bigger the better. That is why having more mega pixels on your camera is great.
DO NOT USE Jpg as the quality is not good enough for something you want on your wall. I use a Nikon D80 for my shots but that will change in November as I will havr the new D300!!!!!!
Hope I helped a little
Matt

 

[jwedehase]

Jason, for a "hard answer" point of reference, I used to work in the print/design industry, and we always shot for 300dpi. If we HAD TO, we'd go as low as 233, but that was avoided as much as possible.

Print was always in postscript fonts, which are vector based, and limited only by our 1200dpi printer.

 

[KurtsReef]

Jwedehase is correct, ideally you want the image too be 300dpi.

Most printers want JPEGS and not RAW or TIFF files only due to size.

You will want to ask the printer if they care what color space they require or if they care, some you need to change the color profile to sRGB before sending the file.

Its best to decide on a printer and then look too them for requirements.

MPIX (www.mpix.com) is the same company as the professional printer millers and does a very good job. They have a FAQ's section too help.

 

[BlueCorn]

Jason,

Keep in mind that 300 dpi is just a target. I routinely print all the way down to 150 dpi with excellent (i.e. salable) results if necessary to get the right finished size. Viewing distance and the sharpness of the original are big factors. A razor sharp image printed at 150dpi will look better than an "okay" image at 300 dpi. If you plan to view your 16 x 20 from 8" than 150 dpi might not be best. If it's going to be on a wall over a bookcase it'll be fine.