Digital BW, The Print

If you want to make big prints, start with big negatives. There's no
problem at all making prints that size from 4x5 negatives at the 360dpi
output resolution the 9600 driver wants.

If you insist on making big prints from small negatives, you'll have to
do some testing to determine what you can live with in output
resolution. Unless there is a barrier between the viewer and the print
that prevents them from getting close, most people will walk right up to
a print they find interesting. If that's the situation, I suspect that
you'll want to use as much as you can get, and that asking for a minimum
is asking the wrong question.

But, testing will tell.

On Tue, 2004-08-10 at 18:21, Allan Chen wrote:

> >Hello all,
> 
>          We all know the general rules of thumb about minimum recommended 
> resolution for printing to X size (whether that rule of thumb says 200, 
> 250, 300 dpi is irrelevant).  However, once you start getting into, say, 
> 36" wide prints and larger, it seems those numbers go out the window.  It's 
> almost impossible to get, say, 250dpi across that large of a print.  But 
> the assumption is that viewers wouldn't stand nearly as close to the print, 
> so the sharpness still holds up.
>          So...what exactly are the suggested minimums for such large 
> prints?  At 36" wide, let's say, would 100dpi be enough?  75?  More?  Less?
> 
>          We're thinking of putting in an Epson 9600 here at the school I 
> work for, and I'm trying to figure out a starting point for the various 
> print tests I'll be doing.
> thanks,
> allan
> 
> 
> ------------------------------------
> Technology Projects Manager
> Academic Computing & The Office of Accessible Education
> Stanford University
> v - 650-996-0546
> f - 650-725-4685 


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