Re: dumb question

fred@xxxxxxxx wrote:
On Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:03:08 GMT, "HEMI-Powered" <none@xxxxxxx> wrote:

Andrew Koenig added these comments in the current discussion du
jour ...

"P§³" <xvzex3qtgix@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:uktkk.554$Ht4.171@xxxxxxxxxxx

I've been out of photography for many years so this digital
stuff is new to me so please forgive the dumb question. I'm
confused about the maximum image size one can get out of a
camera like the Nikon d700. What's the largest quality PRINT
one can make with this beast.
How sharp do you want the print to be?

The basic image size is 2832 x 4256 pixels, which is 9.4 x 14
inches at 300 dots/inch or 14x21 inches at 200 dots/inch. For
bigger prints than that, you would probably want to use some
kind of dithering/upscaling tool such as Genuine Fractals.

DPI is an incorrect unit designation; DPI is most commonly used for scanning where the hardware scans X dots per linear inch of material, where each dot turns into a pixel. In digital printing or processing, everything is already in pixels and is re-
converted to a spot on the paper, hence the proper units are PPI or Pixels Per Inch.

Wow are YOU wrong!!!

Pixels are reserved for MONITOR DISPLAYS!

Printers are ALLWAYS rated dots per inch! My Dad agrees, and he's been a
printer for 40 years... look up halftone mask...

WRT the OP's question re print size, then:
DPI of inkjet printers (the number on the sales brochure/box) gives a totally unreasonable figure, but my "4800x2400 dpi" printer will resolve about 400 lines per inch horizontally and about 200 lines per inch vertically of dithered half-tones. So, it's potentially around about 600dpi (about double what most commercial wet-process prints are) depending what you measure and how.
So, unless printing at a very small size, while DPI may be a "standard", it's irrelevant when at the size of print ("largest?") the limiting factor is pixels, not printer resolution, unless you're using something very old for printing.
Anyway, IMO the most critical factor in "how many megapixels is enough" (apart from the obvious ones like viewing distance) is composition. Something drawing the viewer in (landscape) then 300 ppi is desirable, but portrait/macro/nature etc, it doesn't really matter very much at all. I've produced (IMO) great prints from 6mp at 19"x13" where resolution wasn't an obvious limiting factor, but others where above 12x8" approx, 6mp really starts to fall apart.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: National Geographic vs. Canon print paper
    ... For 35mm, most people find that somewhere in the 2500-5000 DPI range better able to extract all the image information available, then resampling down to whatever they think is "right" for their purpose. ... Until it's printed, the TIFF file should be as large a resolution as the scanner created (eg: 4535x6803 pixels). ... Any imbedded info about "300 ppi" is just handwaving until it's printed out onto paper, ... You can use whatever name you want: how about blueberries per inch? ...
    (rec.photo.digital)
  • Re: dots per inch?
    ... Is this the same as 350 pixels per inch? ... There will be no doubt another long debate about ppi vs. dpi, ... but yes if they asked for 350 dots per inch it is a very good ... bet that what they really meant was 350 pixels per inch. ...
    (rec.photo.digital)
  • Re: dots per inch?
    ... Is this the same as 350 pixels per inch? ... I agree that DPI and PPI generally have two completely different ... Image and change the dimensions to 12x8"", the pixels per inch changes to ...
    (rec.photo.digital)
  • Re: I have a 30mp camera redux
    ... 360 dpi and 720 ppi on my Epson. ... A computer presents images as a unique number of pixels, ... from not 3 dots of RGB, but from *many* dots of Cyan, ... quality printing at 120 pixels per inch, ...
    (rec.photo.digital.slr-systems)
  • Re: Where to print?: www.elcocolor.com
    ... delivers 200 dpi or so at 20 inch x 30 inch. ... Oops. ... I was looking at the 10x15 prints I make myself, and the Raw Shooter dpi value for that size. ... WE ARE PRINTING ON SILVER HALIDE PHOTOGRAPHIC FUJI PROFESSIONAL CRYSTAL ARCHIVE II PAPER, PROCESSED IN FUJI PROFESSIONAL RA-4 CHEMISTRY ...
    (rec.photo.digital.slr-systems)
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