I wonder if somebody has an answer for this one.......

When you magnify the image in photoshop to 100% how is it compared to

a print image? At what print size you will see the same that you see

on your screen at 100%?

I hope its not a stupid question.

Thanks

At 50% it should look like it will in print. Hope this helps

Print at what size?

Thanks

divide the pixel dimensions (e.g. 3008x2000) by the monitor DPI (72 for PC and 96 for Mac) and you'll get the equivalent print dimension in inches.

My experience (and the way it appears to look to me) is that an image viewed at 100% is EXACTLY what you will see in the print..

"the monitor DPI (72 for PC and 96 for Mac)"

 

72 or 96? Hmm... The computer I'm using to type this message has a display that measures 12 inches by 9 inches. It has a resolution of 1400x1050 pixels. That's 117 DPI (but it would be better to say 117 PPI --- Pixels Per Inch).

 

Arnab's correct about dividing the image dimensions in pixels by the display's DPI or PPI value to see how big the whole image would be, but there's an assumption that the image will be printed at that same DPI / PPI value. For example, at 100% (i.e. each pixel of the original image takes up exactly one pixel on the display) on my display, a 3008x2000 pixel image would have a virtual size of about 26 by 17 inches. But, if I go to print that image, then it would be 26 by 17 inches only if I print it at 117 PPI. If the printer is set to any other PPI value, then the print size is going to be different.

 

--Bill

The final two sentences of my previous response were superfluous. If the print size matches the image's dimensions in pixels divided by the display's PPI value, then the print and the display (running at 100%) will both be showing the same amount of detail per unit area (ignoring issues such as how crisply the display renders a pixel compared to the print, etc.).

 

--Bill

Arnab Pratim Das wrote: "... by the monitor DPI (72 for PC and 96 for Mac)..."

 

Monitor DPI will range from about 40DPI to about 165DPI depending on the monitor size (e.g. 15 inch diagonal, 10.6 inches wide) and its resolution (e.g. 800 x 600 pixels). A monitor will be an actual 72DPI only by accident; you should assume it will vary over a wide range, and that it won't be 72DPI.

 

For table of apparent monitor values see http://www.scantips.com/basics1a.html

 

Mike S

The truth is you won't know until you print it. Things like dot gain and paper surface also

factor in here. Viewing at 50% magnification is a close approximation for most monitors.

But wouldn't it be better to view it at 100% rather than at 50% prior to printing- to see if the print will be at least as good as what you're viewing? Seems to me that viewing at 50%, you won't see everything you want to see.

 

Like for example; you blow up your document size to say, 24" x 30". At 50%, you won't know if the image is pixilated. If you view it at 100% and see no pixels and it looks good, you'll know your print won't show pixels as well.

Click on View->Print Size.

 

Remember, the Print Size and Resolution (pixels/inch) have an inverse relationship -- that is: The higher the resolution, the smaller the print size, and vice versa.

 

Here is an easy way to watch how this relationship plays out:

(1) Click Image->Image Size

(2) Uncheck "Resample Image" check-box

(3) Watch how the Image Size changes as you change the Resolution.

it depends on what you're printing it with and your image's resolution. if you go to your one hour lab, it will most likely be printed at a max of 300dpi. to take your resolution, and divide it by 300 and that will give you the maximum size that you can print it at to get the best quality. i hope that helps!