Digital BW, The Print

Good point.  I should've been clearer.  Since this is a service we'll be 
offering in our general technology/media library, rather than as part of, 
say, the art school, we are trying to be realistic about the range of input 
files we'll be seeing.  Yes, I'm sure we'll see at least some students 
bringing in scans of 4x5 negatives that will be more than enough resolution 
for the printer.  But we'll also probably see some starting with medium 
format negatives and maybe even 35mm ones.

Obviously the 35mm ones aren't going to get out to 36" at 360dpi, but could 
almost get there at 180dpi (assuming 400dpi input files...which is actually 
bigger than the ones we can get now with our current scanner).  The medium 
format negative could get at least within shooting range.

Our situation is such that, while it is not unreasonable to expect most of 
our students to understand the need for resolution, the bottom line is that 
we're not going to see a lot of LF negatives.

anyway.  I'll do some testing with both my 35mm and MF scans.  Will see 
what happens...
allan


At 03:58 PM 8/10/2004, you wrote:
>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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------------------------------------
Technology Projects Manager
Academic Computing & The Office of Accessible Education
Stanford University
v - 650-996-0546
f - 650-725-4685