12.1 print size??

Robbo

Robbo

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What's the largest I can print with 12.1 without losing any quality?
 
The bigger you go, the lower DPI you need... some say 6mp is enough to be printing A3 sizes with. Obviously you won't have the detail looking close, but at a recommended viewing distance... it'll look fine :)
 
My D300's are 12.3mp and the biggest I have printed is 20"x16" and there didn't appear to be any noticable loss in detail at all. As long as the original image is decent then you should be able to print pretty damn big from a high resolution image. Like the last poster said, the bigger the print, the further away you'd view it from so the less chance there is of seeing any loss of detail.
 
i got a 30"x20" done with a shot from my 450D (12.1Mp) and it was even cropped to around 11Mp and it looks great. Remember with big shots you will stand further back as well, so i'd just send in the full res image and let the lab worry about resolution.
 
Sorry for the slight derail, but where do you guys get images printed from? I'm new to all this and I'm guessing your typical tog around here doesn't pop down to tesco for good quality prints.
 
Robbo, I've got some great A3 prints from my old D70 (6 MP) but would be a bit dubious about printing any bigger than A4 (and even then, carefully chosen shots!) from a 12MP compact. Haven't yet done so (not got around to it) but I'm planning printing one of my favourites from my D700 over 4 sheets of A3+ to give me a near A1 final print.

Squawk, I do my own printing on either a Canon s820 A4, 6 ink printer or a Canon iX4000 A3, 4 ink printer. If I'm after a load of 6x4 prints, I get them done wherever is doing the best deal on the High Street.
 
I've printed 20" x30" from my Canon 300D 6MegaPixel with good results... as people have said, when you go large people view from further away. If you have a compact camera or don't have a well acquired image then I would be nervous going this big though.
 
Robbo said:
What's the largest I can print with 12.1 without losing any quality?
Click to expand...

The maximum size you can print depends on what you mean by "without losing any quality".

If you mean that you want the image to be absolutely pin sharp even when examined minutely, then you need to print at about 300 PPI and your maximum image size is therefore about 14" x 9" - bigger than A4 but smaller than A3.

However, most people would be happy with a requirement that it should be impossible to discern the pixellation, and the image should look sharp (assuming of course that the original is sharp!) when viewed from an appropriate distance. That last bit is crucial. You might look really closely at a small print, but if you printed something the size of your wall then you should look at it from across the room.

With this definition, if you do the maths you will find out that whatever size you're aiming for, you need no more than 6 megapixels (ie 3000x2000).

For a practical demonstration of how you can "print" really large with relatively few pixels, fire up Google Earth and go to 37°38'46"N, 115°45'3"W. I reckon that's less than 1 megapixel, but it looks fine to me when viewed from an altitude of 2km or more.
 
I think Stewart has given the answer you are looking for. Just to emphasise his comment about needing first class equipment and technique to get anywhere near seeing detail in every pixel at that resolution. Frankly, you won't do it except in the very centre of the frame with a good lens at optimum f/number - around f/5.6 - f/8 for max resolution and contrast.

Squawk said:
Sorry for the slight derail, but where do you guys get images printed from? I'm new to all this and I'm guessing your typical tog around here doesn't pop down to tesco for good quality prints.
Click to expand...

I've used Tescos and they're good! I also use Boots a lot as it's handy for me.

I'm going to try Aldi next, their on-line service. There was a thread about it recently, very good prices and quality.

TBH I don't think price has got much to do with it nowadays. There's no human element invloved in basic D&P and they all use quality materials and machinery. Give them a good digital file and you'll get a good print.
 
i just looked at some national trust poster work in a dining room at style

from around 6-8 feet they are really spot on
up close one showed total artifacts on the faces and other areas

keep 2 chevrons please between viewer and viewed
 
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