Printing question

[stevel]

I know virtually nothing about printing, except that desired print image size multiplied by desired dpi equals rendering resolution. So if I want to print, for example, a 20"x30" picture at 300 dpi, we're talking 6000x9000, which seems awfully big and unmanageable to me! Plus, I think it would take forever to render. Is there any way to produce a high-resolution, crisp printed image without using such a big file? Lower dpi?

[Paul Twyman]

Hi there,

 

What do you need the final output for?

If you lower the dpi then it's going to lower the quality and crispness but generally the bigger you need the print the less close it is going to be viewed at so you will probably be able to get away with it.

 

Basically you have to think about how it is going to be viewed and whether or not you will be able to get away with lowering the dpi. At the size you are talking about I would think you would be able to get away with lowering the dpi to say 150 but it won't be perfectly crisp when you get in close on it. Hope this makes sense.

 

If you do need to render big, break the image up into sections and put them together in photoshop.

 

Hope this helps.

[AJLynn]

I've never had a need for 20x30 at 300. At that size, 100-150 will do fine.

[stevel]

The final output would be, say, for a zoning hearing or the like. You pros here must have run into this situation many times!

[AJLynn]

We've run into it and you've already got the answer. Nobody will see the 300DPI at a zoning meeting. Your printer probably can't even handle it, unless you've got something like an Epson 9880. Seriously, print something at that size at 300DPI, then downsample it to 100DPI and print it again, stand back a bit and try to see the difference.

[ronll]

I agree and the misunderstanding of this has been something of a pet peeve of mine for years. The only reason to print something bigger is so you can view it from farther away. The Jumbotron at your favorite sports arena has about the same number of pixels as an iPhone. But if you get as close to the Jumbotron as you do your iPhone you will probably only see three pixels each about the size of a car's headlight.

 

The same amount of visual information will be there whether you are viewing a 4" x 5" print in your hand, or a large construction sign from across the street. The only reason you would ever need more pixels is to show smaller details, regardless of the size of the print.