Choosing Image Size Versus Print Quality?

wolfman

No probs. It can get confusing when converting between pixels and inches, especially with printers in the equation. Had to double check it too

You're right about getting as much PPI as possible. My Ixus v3 (3.2mp) goes as high as 180, although from some prints I've done I wish it was nearer 250 or more.

EvilMonkey

wolfman wrote:

You're right about getting as much PPI as possible. My Ixus v3 (3.2mp) goes as high as 180, although from some prints I've done I wish it was nearer 250 or more.

Sorry to the OP for hijacking this thread slightly but....

I'm fairly certain, what you set on your camera will be over ridden by the PC / printer anyway (I've had 5 digicams over the years and have never set PPI on the cam). The default for pics seems to be around 50 PPI, IE screen resolution. (at least thats how they open up in PS)

If you printed out your 3.2MP pic as a 6x4 (ish) snap, that would HAVE to be at over 300 PPI. Even if you set it as 180 PPI in cam, the very fact you print it out smaller would up that. I know you can fiddle with PPI in photoshop et al, and as far as I was aware it doesn't change the picture, more how its displayed \ printed.

I've use online printers for a long time now, so I don't have to worry about specifics, I know the biggest print size I can get and let them handle everything under that.

Just had a thought though, if you normally print out size XYZ. It'd be handy to have a setting which means you can print straight out the camera (IE pick your PPI). Seems daft to limit it to 180 though....

E.M.

wolfman

Sorry, meant in terms of A4 print. It can't go higher than 180PPI. Yeah can print smaller pictures at 300PPI or over. Got most of the decent ones in A4 size, framed, just wish they were nearer 250PPI, which I'd probably need a 4 or 5mp camera for.

EvilMonkey

Gotcha!

It is a bit of a cheat, but there are techniques to up your pixel count for bigger prints.

From the OW so expensive genuine fractals (although they do have a LE version cheaper)

to the less expensive Stair interpolation photoshop add in by Fred Miranda

to the free* do it in small steps technique.

This last one isn't too bad, basically doubling a pics size in 1 step causes horrible issues. Break it up so that the MAX size increase in any 1 step is around 5% and it gets far better results.... (worth a go maybe and seeing if the qualities any better?)

(*as long as you have photoshop, psp or similar)

E.M.