Enlargement

[kellen1]

I was wondering what size prints you can do with 4 Megapixels without loosing

too much detail? What size .jpg file would you suggest?

[Ed_Ingold]

It depends on the camera and lens - not all pixels are equal. Personal taste and standards play an important role too. In any case, you will have to resample and sharpen to print larger than about 8x12 inches.

 

I have made acceptible 16x20 inch prints from a D2h (4.1 MP) using various f/2.8 zooms, and at least one 36x48 inch poster. On the whole, D2h images look a little soft at 8x12 inches, especially compared to a D2x or medium format. Don't expect much from a 4MP Point-and-shoot camera.

[fhmillard]

You will be fine up to 8x10", and perhaps at 11x17 or 13x19. If you can, it's always a good idea to shoot at lower ISO values of 200 or less to reduce grain in the original image. Images may need a little more sharpening for printing than for web display.

 

For larger sizes try a resolution between 150 and 240 dpi; for smaller sizes (4x6 and 5x7) try 400 dpi. So if you choose an image size of 4x6", set resolution to 400 dpi; and if 8x10, 11x17 or 11x14 use 200 dpi resolution.

 

If you set printing to use ICC profile of a specific paper, it might be a good idea to not to use printer's color management, since it is encapsulated in the ICC profile.

 

Of course,trial and error will lead you to the results you desire.