Printing size/resolution

[adame]

Guys, im about to go see the photo shop about printing a photo to hang on the wall, but i cant decide what size to print it in, i really think the bigger the better without loosing to much detail. it's a 3144 by 4630 pixels framed image from my D200.



So i guess all im after is some opinions on how big you would go?

Cheers
Adam

[Glen]

Adam, I wouldn't hesitate to go A3 and if I wanted bigger I would use a program to upsize it, assuming it is blur free.

[Aussie Dave]

Adam
Assuming your photo shop is printing at 300dpi (I'll assume they are), your native D200 file size will give you roughly 15" x 10" (380mm x 250mm).

You should at least be able to go A3 size (420mm x 297mm) without a problem, possibly even 20" x 30".

However, do you have a spot in the house pegged to hang it on ? If so, what size do you think will suit that location ? You don't need it too big, and usually the bigger the photo is, the more room you want in front of the wall, so you can stand back and look at it. BTW...very nice image. I'm hoping to get down that way later in the year and I hope I can come away with images like yours.

[cawdor]

I had a portrait shot taken with my D70 (6MP) enlarged to A0 size without any problems, the result was spectacular. All I did was convert the raw file to tif. So I say you could enlarge your shot easily to real poster size (A1).

[MHD]

It all depends on how close you will view it....

there is a lot of misunderstanding to just how large you can print an image, you do not view a billboard the same way you view a 6x4 print.

[adame]

Just been and had a chat with the photo shop, they assure me that at 30 inces tall it will look stunning, Have got the spot on the wall all ready to go , ive had very good relations with the photo shop before im even getting it framed by them

Cheers for your input guys...

[Yi-P]

From a D70, I printed A3 without problem and quality/sharpness is still very clear.

From a 10MP D200, A3 is not a problem to worry about.

[xorl]

The quality of a printed image at a particular size depends on a lot of factors:
- Camera system optical performance: lens, aperture, DoF, diffraction, critical focus, camera stability, sensor,..
- Print method
- Print size
- Viewing distance
- Image content
- Subjective opinion and tolerance of the viewer

With 10Mpixel cameras technique and optical limitations often impact image quality before the sensor resolution becomes an issue.

If you want to get a better feel for the quality of this particular image you could get a crop of the image detail printed at 6x4". Stick it on the wall and view it from an appropriate distance. If it meets your standards, then go for it .

[MHD]

That is a very good suggestion