Non-Standard Size Prints...

propaintballa

propaintballa

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James
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Hey guys,

I'm thinking about printing one of my pictures for the first time but have run into some issues. I know someone will probably tell me to go to a printers in person which I will probably do at some point, but for the time being, I'd like some input on the problem so far.

The picture is 4211x2200 pixels... When in Photoshop and the image is on 100% zoom the image still looks perfect etc etc and what I'd imagine would be the size it would be when physically printed?

However, when I select "Image Size" from the menu, it reports that it is in fact only 17.5x10"

Can anyone explain this at all as I'm seriously confused?

Thanks :)
 
Photoshop at 100% displays your image correlating image pixels with screen pixels at 1:1. Nowt to do with 'print' size, which depends on the ppi chosen in 'image size'.

See if you can achieve your chosen print dimensions at 300 ppi - a common resolution for many labs, photobooks, etc - maybe save out a copy for that specific intent, leaving the original file unaltered for archive purposes.
 
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Hi.. my first time responding to a post on here, just found the group. So 4211x2200 pixels gives you a print size of around 14 x 7.3 @ 300dpi. For an image size you reported as 17.5 x 10 the print resolution would have been set at around 240dpi. Depending on what you are printing to 240 is perfectly acceptable for Giclee prints, although if you have any text I would go higher. You will be able to see that in PS when you check images size. Seeing the actual size on screen requires that you set PS up with your screen resolution and then selecting print size from the zoom menu.
 
propaintballa said:
When in Photoshop and the image is on 100% zoom the image still looks perfect etc etc and what I'd imagine would be the size it would be when physically printed?
Click to expand...
If you're using some sort of desktop monitor to view the image, it probably has a resolution of around 100 pixels per inch (ppi). So at that resolution your whole image would be about 42" x 22".

You could print at 100 ppi and end up with an image that size. If you're printing on canvas, 100 ppi is roughly the maximum amount of detail which can be represented so it will look great.

However the average human eye is capable of resolving about 300 ppi and most printers print at about 300 ppi. At that resolution your print would only be about 14" x 7".

If you want to print at 100 ppi on a printer which works at 300 ppi, there are generally two ways of doing it.
(1) Just tell the printer what size you want the print and let it handle the upscaling itself.
(2) Upscale the image yourself in software (eg Photoshop) so that it has the right number of pixels for a 300 ppi print at 42" x 22", which is roughly 12600 x 6600 pixels. Then the printer will just print 'as is'.

Which method to choose isn't always obvious though. Some people prefer (2) because they're in control of the upscaling. Some commercial printers recommend (1). YMMV.
 
Paul Grundy said:
... Giclee prints ...
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Use of the word Giclee as a synonym for inkjet always gives me the creeps. It's usually used by artists / photographers in publicity material as a desperate attempt to upmarket their work and distance it from what the plebs do. Good work, however, needs no such obfuscation.
 
That's a lot to take in but thanks for all of the replies guys and I totally understand!

I think to achieve the size I'd like, it'd be around 200DPI, maybe slightly more. Is that still acceptable? It won't be canvas...
 
propaintballa said:
I think to achieve the size I'd like, it'd be around 200DPI, maybe slightly more. Is that still acceptable?
Click to expand...
Yes. It might not be absolutely 100% pin sharp when looked at very very closely (you need 300 ppi for that), but from any viewing distance greater than about 2 feet it should look teriffic.
 
Excellent! My mother wants one of mine in the hallway and thought this would be the best opportunity to see what my work looks like framed!

Although I'm having issues deciding which colour mount matches a very green image!
 
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