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 01/11/2009 10:30:18 PM · #1
How large a print can be made from an image from a Canon 40D (shot in max RAW resolution)?

I have only printed as large as 8x10. I do have a much larger canvas print, but I wanted to know how large a traditional print on paper could be, and how of the quality will be impacted.

A company approached me to see if they can purchase some prints from me to hang on their office walls. They ideally want 32x32 size prints. Has anyone printed from a 10 mega pixel image up to this size?


01/11/2009 10:45:49 PM · #2
A very large billboard would be no trouble. Even bigger if you can find some way to make a print larger than a billboard.
 01/11/2009 10:47:47 PM · #3
Originally posted by AperturePriority:
and how of the quality will be impacted.



Depends on how close you stand to it I guess.
 01/12/2009 12:38:39 AM · #4
guys. if it is printing for a regular wall-frame. what is the lowest resolution needed?
 01/12/2009 12:54:25 AM · #5
Originally posted by crayon:
guys. if it is printing for a regular wall-frame. what is the lowest resolution needed?


What's the size of a "regular wall-frame?"
 01/12/2009 01:02:16 AM · #6
Ask your printing service. Some of them have excellent upscalling software designed to work with their printers. There are also programs you can use yourself to make much larger prints possible too like Genuine Fractals. I have not tried any of them myself yet though.
01/12/2009 01:16:27 AM · #7
Originally posted by Adamsw216:
Originally posted by crayon:
guys. if it is printing for a regular wall-frame. what is the lowest resolution needed?


What's the size of a "regular wall-frame?"


i'm not too sure, but say roughly 16" x 16" size frame?
thanks
 01/12/2009 01:33:04 AM · #8
My original question was not meant to be about the physical ability to print at large sizes (the actual process, the printing shop, the mechanics, etc).

Let me restate it in a concise way...

Is it feasible for a 10 megapixel full RAW image to be printed at a size of 32x32 (inches).

It is for an office environment, not an art gallery. People will not be going to this office (or conference room) for the sole purpose of viewing the image. My interest is to see if it is absolutely ridiculous to even try to print at that size. If it is, what is a good rule-of-thumb as far as maximum printing size for a 10 mp image?

Thanks in advance!


01/12/2009 01:38:06 AM · #9
quoted from theprintguide.com
Question:
What is DPI for Poster Printing?

Answer:

DPI stands for Dots per Inch. It is a measure of resolution for page printers, photo type setting machines and graphics screens. This is an important specification before doing any kind of poster printing. Graphics screens usually reproduce 60 to 72 dpi, most page printers 300 dpi, and typesetting systems up to 1,000 dpi. The more detailed the poster printing job the higher the dpi needs to be.
 01/12/2009 01:42:13 AM · #10
You'll be fine at 32x32 with that camera.

I print 20x30 often from my 30D

Originally posted by AperturePriority:
My original question was not meant to be about the physical ability to print at large sizes (the actual process, the printing shop, the mechanics, etc).

Let me restate it in a concise way...

Is it feasible for a 10 megapixel full RAW image to be printed at a size of 32x32 (inches).

It is for an office environment, not an art gallery. People will not be going to this office (or conference room) for the sole purpose of viewing the image. My interest is to see if it is absolutely ridiculous to even try to print at that size. If it is, what is a good rule-of-thumb as far as maximum printing size for a 10 mp image?

Thanks in advance!

01/12/2009 07:06:26 AM · #11
A few years ago, I was in Kinko's, and a giant printer was finishing off a 24X36 print of a football player. At that time, a 10MP camera was the largest they made. The clerk told me they upsize from scans of 4X6 prints and showed me the print. The poster size print looked amazing, and I always figured if I ever got anything I wanted to see that big or got a house where hanging it wouldn't be overwhelming, I would get one. As that was at least 5 years ago, I can only imagine their abilities have improved. I still don't have anything I want that big but, I'm sure upsizing to 32X32 would be no problem.
 01/12/2009 07:44:38 AM · #12
I have prints made regularly at that size and larger with no problems from my 6.1MP, older design, Nikon D70s.

The end result depends on the quality of the image.

If it's tack sharp, proper exposure, and with good resolution at regular size, it'll blow up nicely.

As long as you don't have to do a lot of PP work to "save" the image from any initial issues, it will be fine.

I use the largest size available in the raw converter, and when I open it in JPEG or TIFF out of the RAW converter, it's no thing at all to scale it upwards to get the size file you want.

Then just take it to your printery and have it done.

I've had an image enlarged to 6 FEET by 11 FEET and it looked wonderful.

01/12/2009 08:53:50 AM · #13
I made a print hmmm, maybe about FIVE FEET by THREE FEET from my Rebel XT (8MP), and it looks great.

My daughter is just about life-sized in the print. It's on her bedroom wall, I should take a pic of it there.



ETA... she caught that fish by herself with her Barbie pole. It's about four times larger than any fish we've ever seen in that tiny lake.... ever.

Message edited by author 2009-01-12 08:55:41.
 01/12/2009 09:02:30 AM · #14
You'll be just fine, Les.

And when you get it back, make sure you ohhhh and ahhhhh over it before you send it out :)

They are quite impressive :)
 01/12/2009 09:43:48 AM · #15
Originally posted by AperturePriority:
My original question was not meant to be about the physical ability to print at large sizes (the actual process, the printing shop, the mechanics, etc).

Let me restate it in a concise way...

Is it feasible for a 10 megapixel full RAW image to be printed at a size of 32x32 (inches).

It is for an office environment, not an art gallery. People will not be going to this office (or conference room) for the sole purpose of viewing the image. My interest is to see if it is absolutely ridiculous to even try to print at that size. If it is, what is a good rule-of-thumb as far as maximum printing size for a 10 mp image?

Thanks in advance!


10MP at 32x32= piece of cake

My lab printed a 30x32 for me from a shot that was pretty noisy, and not tack sharp - it just happened that it was a very cool looking image, and the client wanted it large, so I asked my lab about it and they said no problem, send it on - I was so taken aback at how wonderful the image came back that I had to sit down and look at it for awhile. Yes, you'll be fine with those specs.
01/12/2009 12:24:59 PM · #16
Originally posted by crayon:
quoted from theprintguide.com
Question:
What is DPI for Poster Printing?

Answer:

DPI stands for Dots per Inch. It is a measure of resolution for page printers, photo type setting machines and graphics screens. This is an important specification before doing any kind of poster printing. Graphics screens usually reproduce 60 to 72 dpi, most page printers 300 dpi, and typesetting systems up to 1,000 dpi. The more detailed the poster printing job the higher the dpi needs to be.

Yes, I'll have them at at least 300 dpi. Thanks.

01/12/2009 12:25:34 PM · #17
Originally posted by Ristyz:
You'll be fine at 32x32 with that camera.

I print 20x30 often from my 30D

Excellent...thank you.
 01/12/2009 12:26:17 PM · #18
Originally posted by TCGuru:
You'll be just fine, Les.

And when you get it back, make sure you ohhhh and ahhhhh over it before you send it out :)

They are quite impressive :)

LOL! Ohhhh's and ahhhhh's are good!

01/12/2009 12:28:34 PM · #19
Finally, thanks to Courtenay, Slippy, Jeb, and Linda for your replies, too. :-)
 01/12/2009 12:37:20 PM · #20
I've got a 24x36 from a 30D that looks great. I've got lots of 16x20s, 11x14, etc that are fantastic, and some banners that admittedly are composite of many images, but the main image is 24" wide in all of them.

Now a 40D...well, I did a group shot of 150 people outside at night, in the dark. Used strobes of course, but still it was dark, high ISO, etc. I shot landscape and ended up cropping to get a portrait orientation and printed that at 11x17. It was great - you could see everyone's face, make out the eyes, etc.

1/15 at 5.6, IS0 1000, 10-22 at 10mm

01/12/2009 01:28:42 PM · #21
I used a crop that was about 2/3 of an 8mp file. 3200ISO and F2.5 and had it printed 20x30. I provided a 10X15 150DPI file to Elco color labs, the detail and print was amazing even looking up close. As long as the uprez done by the printing service is good, you wont be able to tell. BTW ask your printing service what size they want. Some will want no more then 200DPI and half the print size, they will do the upsizing there and are specific about what you send.

But you can easily print what you want from your camera.

Matt
 01/12/2009 02:17:03 PM · #22
I got this printed very large (about 26 inches wide) and it came out great. The camera was a Canon Powershot G6 at 7.1 MP:



If you have a clear good shot I think they can do wonders on the print.
 01/12/2009 02:20:25 PM · #23
used one image on an 8'x16' sign...
 01/12/2009 02:22:13 PM · #24
I'm still winning. (~5x3 feet)
:-P

Message edited by author 2009-01-12 14:22:38.
 01/12/2009 02:26:12 PM · #25
Originally posted by Strikeslip:
I'm still winning. (~5x3 feet)
:-P

that's 8 feet by 16 feet, dude....

mounted on four 4x8 sheets of alupanel...
this isn't the final, it's a mockup. the final takes about 5 minutes to open, so i'm not opeing it up just to show off here... ;~P

Message edited by author 2009-01-12 14:31:29.
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