What is the maximum size i can print

donkeymusic

donkeymusic

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Hello, what is the maximum size i can print straight from a camera?

thanks for any advice
 
you can print at 180 dpi and not see a difference between the same print at 360dpi.

without interpolation with your 14.2mp A550

360 dpi = 12.756 x 8.489 inches
300 dpi = 15.307 x 10.187 inches
240 dpi = 19.133 x 12.733 inches
180 dpi = 25.511 x 16.978 inches

A4 = 11.693 x 8.268 inches
A3 = 16.535 x 11.693 inches
A3+ = 13 x 19 inches
A2 = 23.387 x 16.535
 
Normally the advice is that 6 Megapixels will just allow you to print at A4.
3000 pixels wide divided by 11.7 inches (A4 width) = 256 ppi.
Most printers etc ask for 300ppi so you may need to resample.

However if you print 6 Megapixels at A3 you will probably view from a greater distance so that will look OK as well.

If you print 6 Megapixels at A2 you will view it from even further away so that will also be OK. etc. etc.
 
Suvv said:
Normally the advice is that 6 Megapixels will just allow you to print at A4.
Click to expand...
The sharpest A3 print in my (vintage) LRPS panel was taken with a 4Mp camera; the rest were taken with an 8.2Mp sensor.
The way I'd phrase it that you can get away with 4Mp printed to A3; but it has to be used full frame with a good lens.

IMHO 8Mp is more than adequate for A3.
It is far more important is to use good camera technique and decent glass (in that order). The large(ish) print size will show up any weaknesses.

Back on topic....
I know of a stunning 20ft poster produced from a 40D.
It's all about how close the viewer is going to get.
Fixed dpi assumes a fixed viewing distance; it doesn't work out that way!
The roadside poster was never viewed from arms length.

Immersive images.....
For an exhibition, I uprezzed my 5DII images for high quality printing at A1. Some of them were magical in that they looked great at a distance but you could walk right up to them and still feel if you had a magnifying glass that there was more detail to be seen. It was rather freaky but wonderful to experience. To do this needs an image that when pixel peeping you start seeing square pixels and aliasing before you see any image softness, even at 21mp; this is really hard to achieve across the whole frame. To get an image this sharp takes perfect technique and doesn't seem to happen very often even when using decent kit.
 
S'funny. When cameras topped out at 6MP clients printed my images 2 metres high (often from a crop due to aspect ratios). Printing must have got worse because apparently I'd now struggle to get a 10X8 from it.

Thank goodness my Hasselblad can be pushed almost to 20X16 quality. If anybody orders a 20X30 I'm stuffed.
 
that is not what people are saying :thinking:

JonathanRyan said:
S'funny. When cameras topped out at 6MP clients printed my images 2 metres high (often from a crop due to aspect ratios). Printing must have got worse because apparently I'd now struggle to get a 10X8 from it.

Thank goodness my Hasselblad can be pushed almost to 20X16 quality. If anybody orders a 20X30 I'm stuffed.
Click to expand...
 
POAH said:
that is not what people are saying :thinking:
Click to expand...

Well, it's laughable to suggest that you could get just as big a print from a Nokia as a Nikon if they had the same pixel count.

Bottom line is there is no answer to this question. And every year we get told we can make smaller and smaller prints from higher and higher resolution cameras.

But of course any film camera with a coke bottle on the front will outresolve a P45 with some nice glass on the front.
 
but they can without any interpolation, yes the quality would be very much different but the OP what was the max size he could print which given his camera I described sizes based on dpi not the quality of the image.

nothing to stop you printing an image really small if you want with pretty much any camera lol

JonathanRyan said:
Well, it's laughable to suggest that you could get just as big a print from a Nokia as a Nikon if they had the same pixel count.

Bottom line is there is no answer to this question. And every year we get told we can make smaller and smaller prints from higher and higher resolution cameras.

But of course any film camera with a coke bottle on the front will outresolve a P45 with some nice glass on the front.
Click to expand...
 
POAH said:
the OP what was the max size he could print which given his camera I described sizes based on dpi not the quality of the image
Click to expand...

But answering the question without regard to quality is a little misleading. You may as well quote the sizes for 200 dpi, or 2,000, or 18.

Bottom line - people used to use 6MP cameras for billboards. Some phones now have 6MP cameras. But you couldn't use them for billboards (though I bet somebody has..)
 
why, OP never asked about quality he asked teh max size he got the answer. no more needs to be said

JonathanRyan said:
But answering the question without regard to quality is a little misleading. You may as well quote the sizes for 200 dpi, or 2,000, or 18.
Click to expand...
 
Sorry been busy this weekend and only just come back to this.

I did ask the maximum size I could print also at the best quality.

Basically I am doing studio shots and want to know what size I can offer at the largest with the best quality.

Thanks
 
donkeymusic said:
Hello, what is the maximum size i can print straight from a camera?

thanks for any advice
Click to expand...

donkeymusic said:
Sorry been busy this weekend and only just come back to this.

I did ask the maximum size I could print also at the best quality.

Basically I am doing studio shots and want to know what size I can offer at the largest with the best quality.

Thanks
Click to expand...

In fairness, you didn't state the quality, or the application you are doing.
I suggest you try printing one of your good shots, at A3+, and see whether you are happy with the quality. Would you hang it on the wall at your studio.
If you would, then you could try and sell that.
If not, then stick to 10x8
 
Can you get away with less DPI on different materials such as canvas as an example.

Good chart though. Useful, thanks.
 
so when printing for a client should i be printing 300 ppi or 150 ppi?

as it seems i am gonna struggle to get a large print if i try to print at 300
 
depends on the printer. 300dpi is not native for Epson inkjets (360) but is for Fuji frontiers.
 
Guys
Firstly it's PPI (not DPI) - Images are made of pixels. Printers print in DPI (images on paper are made of dots)

Regards large prints tghey are looked at from much further away than say looking at a 10x8 or 6x4 so your ppi value ca be less with no perceptible loss of quality. The eye is the limiting factor as at a distance of just a few feet it can't resolve any more detail.

I had an 8Mp 20D and have a superb 30"x20" image hanging on the wall.

Shooting in the studio you are shooting at the lowest ISO and therefore I'd expect great results from even larger images. Use a pro lab like Loxley. All you need to do is size your image correctly.

Your camera produces 4592 x 3056 pixels. At 180ppi the printed image would be around 25" x 17". To get to 30x20 you could drop the ppi a little or you could upsample the image in s

I prefer not to upsample too much but you can if you want without too much loss.

Being honest, I recon noone will ever ask you for an image that is bigger than you can produce with the camera you have.

Billboards are printed at <10ppi - that would give you an image that is 38 feet x 25 feet! From 20m away it would stoll look great!

Don't wory about the size.

The only time size will play a part is where the quality of the image isn't quite right - perhaps you missed focus slightly or the like. With a small 6x4 it may still look ok but as you magnify the image so you will also magnify any defects.

Don't pixel peep too much either.
 
donkeymusic said:
so when printing for a client should i be printing 300 ppi or 150 ppi?

as it seems i am gonna struggle to get a large print if i try to print at 300
Click to expand...

You are confusing ppi and dpi.

Size your image where you need it to be. 150ppi for a very large image will be fine.

When you print the image it's likely to be printed at 300dpi. My Epson R2400 has a resolution of 5760x1440 dpi. Although it produces these dots by laying down many colours and the true resolution is around 300dpi.

Regards image resolution, don't use 300ppi unless you actually can. Certainly no problem reducing image size to get 300ppi but I wouldn't bother upscaling until you get to lower than around 150ppi.

Some printers will request 300ppi images - I don't use them as this shows they have no idea about digital imaging in my view.

Pro labs like Loxley will take your image and if it needs to be upscaled at all, their printer's RIP software will do it better than you can so leave it to the pros.
 
POAH said:
depends on the printer. 300dpi is not native for Epson inkjets (360) but is for Fuji frontiers.
Click to expand...

I agree but this is a moot point as printer resolution is not the same as image resolution.
 
PauloWanClift said:
Can you get away with less DPI on different materials such as canvas as an example.

Good chart though. Useful, thanks.
Click to expand...

You can get away with lower PPI on any image.

Try printing smaller images at 240ppi or at 30ppi - Do you see any difference? No I didn't think so :)

Now as you print larger your viewing distance changes so the further away you are the less detail your eye can resolve so lower ppi is perfectly acceptable on any image the larger you get.
 
EOS_JD said:
I agree but this is a moot point as printer resolution is not the same as image resolution.
Click to expand...


makes for more perfect print if you are anal about it :LOL:

with the 5D2 I can make prints at setting the resultion to 360dpi - the interpolation software that printers use to print at 720-1440 etc work better when they have multiples to deal with.
 
POAH said:
makes for more perfect print if you are anal about it :LOL:

with the 5D2 I can make prints at setting the resultion to 360dpi - the interpolation software that printers use to print at 720-1440 etc work better when they have multiples to deal with.
Click to expand...

I've read that too but in real use the difference is ZERO
 
I have printed A2 at very high quality from a fuji s5 pro (6mp upscaled to 12mp in camera). The lens softness at corners was only just visible, but there was no pixelisation even close up.

As said you do need to get focus and exposure spot on for good results, but it is achievable
 
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