print quality / resolution question

[rweakins]

does anyone know where to find or have available a chart or list of the minimum requirements for size / dpi / resolution / etc. for different print sizes?

 

[VirtualRain]

Found this as top result in a Google search for "print dpi chart"...

Each colored box represents a certain number of megapixels. The numbers along the top and left side are print dimensions in inches at 300ppi (pixels per inch). Most books and magazines require 300ppi for photo quality. For example, the chart shows that you can make a 5" x 7" photo quality print from a 3 megapixel camera.

 

[Westside guy]

I think it's not really quite as cut and dried as that - it can also depend on the level of detail in the photo (lots of very fine detail may not scale up as well), how it's going to be viewed (e.g. in a large room versus up close in a hallway), and of course how sharp the shot is to begin with (meaning how much actual resolution is in the photo versus the sensor's resolution).

When I was shooting with my D70, which has a 6MP sensor, I printed a number of my photos at 8"x12" with good results. I probably could have gone a bit larger than that.

 

[kallisti]

Here is a post by Thom Hogan:

How Big Can I Print?

 

[rweakins]

I think it's not really quite as cut and dried as that - it can also depend on the level of detail in the photo (lots of very fine detail may not scale up as well), how it's going to be viewed (e.g. in a large room versus up close in a hallway), and of course how sharp the shot is to begin with (meaning how much actual resolution is in the photo versus the sensor's resolution).

When I was shooting with my D70, which has a 6MP sensor, I printed a number of my photos at 8"x12" with good results. I probably could have gone a bit larger than that.

with what dpi? 300?

 

[Westside guy]

with what dpi? 300?

It's been a while - but I think I was scaling my photos so at the size they ended up somewhere around 200dpi.

Note that I was using an external print shop (Mpix). If you're printing at home using your own printer, there may be other considerations.

 

[toxic]

does anyone know where to find or have available a chart or list of the minimum requirements for size / dpi / resolution / etc. for different print sizes?

there is no real "minimum requirement" for different print sizes. it depends on viewing distance, viewer acuity, sensor size (enlargement factor), and sensor resolution.

the traditional standard is 200-300 ppi for a print. if you go with that, you can calculate your max print size by dividing the number of pixels in your camera by the standard ppi you want to go by (e.g. 200ppi).

the reality is that viewing distance pretty much equalizes the resolution requirement - you can cover the moon with a print at one dot per mile, and it'd look great from here. essentially only professional landscape photographers need infinite resolution.

 

[designguy79]

you can cover the moon with a print at one dot per mile, and it'd look great from here

I bet the printing costs would be out of this world though 😛