300 ppi to 240ppi or enlarge

[Ady N]

Standard size out of my camera is 18*12 inches at a 240ppi output setting. If the output is set at 300ppi then the size is 14.1*9.4 inches. If I want an 18x12 print am I better reducing the ppi to 240 or enlarging the 300ppi to an output size of 18*12?
Which of the above is my best option/which would degrade quality more?

I realise there won't be much in it but I have been mulling this over today.............

 

[POAH]

if you are printing at home you'll see no real difference even going down to 180dpi.

 

[snappingsam]

It also has to do with the distance you look at the print from - the bigger the print the further away you normally look at it from.....

Go up to a billboard poster - you'll find its very unsharp close up....

The only thing to watch out for - some labs will ask you to resize the file to be the printing size at 300dpi... but it won't make any difference to the finished output.

 

[Ady N]

It's for the lab. I have got stuff printed at 240ppi at 18x12 size with no issues but was just wondering if upsizing to 300ppi to give my required output size (18x12) is a better option than using the image at 240ppi which would require no enlarging. The enlargement process (in PS or Alien Skin blow up) adds pixels so would this degrade the image more than printing using 240ppi???

Probably more theoretical than practical but just wondered.................

 

[snappingsam]

Depends on the lab - if they ask for it to be resized at 300dpi do it - if not don't.

Just use Photoshop for the resize - Alien Skin blow up and others like it are for huge enlargements.

You won't see any difference in the quality - its just some labs use "back end" software that does all these things - and does them really well - and other labs don't have this, so they make you do the work...

The printers that most labs use are much the same - its down to how the files are "tweeked" before printing that makes most of the difference.