Digital BW, The Print

This has been a very helpful thread to me.  Thank you to all who contributed.  Here is my takeaway.  The larger the print, the more technical details become important.  As I stated, I was printing out some of my favorite photos on ANSI C (17" x 22").  Of course my favorite of the bunch was shot about 5 years ago with an older camera.  I notice the ISO was set at 800.  That didn't help matters.  The shutter speed and f stop were OK, but the photo was taken with a zoom lens.  With the luxury to shoot again I'd choose a prime.  The native resolution of the photo printed at that size (20.86" x 12.89") was only 161ppi.  A higher resolution camera, or stitching the photo together with multiple shots, would have been better.  As to the processing, I use Lightroom 3.4.  Listening to Jeff Schewe, who had a hand in the development of that program, I was told LR 3.4 is a 'non-linear' editor, so the noise processing step is not like it would be in Photoshop, a linear editor.  According to Schewe, it is important to do noise reduction early on in PS, but it doesn't make much difference in LR (yell at him, please don't yell at me).

I now know it is possible to print at ANSI C and even larger with an APS-C sensor or with properly scanned film, but the overall resolution is important and so is technique; I know now to 'have my act together' before printing at that size.  But it can be done.

Personally, I have decided to print the photo in question at no larger than 14"x17" and preferably smaller.  In the future, knowing what I want quality wise,  I will be paying much more attention to native printed resolution and include that in my size choice.

If somebody thinks I still have this wrong, or feels I am overlooking something, please say so.

Dan