How on earth do I print this big?

[john_boyd9]

<p>Hello Everyone<br>

Someone is interested in purchasing one of my pieces for her home. She wants my print for a wall and she wants the width of the print to be 70 inches.<br>

The question is can i even print this big with a 25 MP file (6144x4096) <br>

This is the image she wants me to print for her at that size.</p>

<p><img src="http://i59.tinypic.com/2enls9x.jpg" alt="" /></p>

[ellis_vener_photography]

Find a lab that can do a test print of a section of the photo.

[Charles_Webster]

<p>Expect the mounting and framing to far exceed the cost of printing. I made a 48" wide print for a friend and mounting and framing cost more than 10X the actual print cost.<br>

In fact it cost more than the entire commission for the shoot!</p>

 

[john_boyd9]

<p>Thanks guys, but this image at 70 inches wide I think it would look pixelated and horrible to look at, wouldn't it? <br>

I'm sure the cost would be crazy, I almost spend around 100$ for mounting my prints on gatorfoam. I can't imagine how much a 70 inch image would cost to mount and print. </p>

[hapien]

<p>Given nature of this specific image the source resolution is not very relevant. It will print nice with 87dpi or so. If there is room for play, why not to order another print upscaled to 21000 pixels with added luminance soft grain.</p>

[Jochen_S]

<p>87dpi aren't that bad when viewed from a distance. They are even better than crudest letterpress printed newspaper images!</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Lots of companies do this. Google for mural size prints:<br>

<a href="https://www.google.com/search?num=100&newwindow=1&q=mural+size+prints&oq=mural+prints&gs_l=serp.1.0.0i7i30l6j0j0i7i5i30j0i5i30l2.23171.23900.0.26435.5.5.0.0.0.0.119.397.2j2.4.0.msedr...0...1c.1.64.serp..1.4.395.1GowgLTnV1I">link</a></p>

<p>Prices need not be astronomical, nor does the print need to be viewable at nosetip distances. for the most part.</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>Its been suggested that you get a lab to make a test print from a small part of the image - I'd suggest18" long from a linear quarter of the image. That will give you an idea of what's possible and indeed something to show the client. If the test print is properly sized it should be viewed from the same distance as that envisaged for the final print. </p>

<p>There's all sorts of opinions on the viewing distance issue. In my experience it is not always the case that big prints are viewed from a long distance. Some people just want to get as close as they can so they can see how sharp it is/is not. Otherwise it may be that there's a physical barrier that makes it hard to get within a few feet of the image. I'd be having a discussion with the client to see what her expectations and viewing conditions might be, to avoid surprises later. </p>

<p>Presumably your prospective client will need a quote, so you'll need to know whether she wants you to handle mounting and framing. For me I wouldn't be happy to let a print that size ( or anywhere near that size ) leave the lab without dry mounting and its as well to be sure that your chosen lab can offer dry mounting to that size, and that you have a way of getting the print around - if you drive a small car its not going to be easy and commercial delivery could cost a lot just to get the completed print packed to avoid transit damage. </p>

 

[Uhooru]

<p>Can the OP up res this in steps to about 160-180 dpi? Most any good printing service will do a test print and will be able to give you a (hopefully) informed opinion as to whether it would work. John, do you have a good service where you live?</p>

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>The "200 to 300 dpi" requirement for high quality printing is true for prints you will see from real close - beyond that you can really drop quite a bit. I've got a 60*90cm print from a ~14MP scan, and from a normal viewing distance for that size, it looks absolutely fine. Put your nose up close, and you will see some pixelation, but well, it makes little sense to look at it that way. See a billboard print from up close, and you will only see pixels.<br>

So, a test print to verify the quality with your client is really the best idea, I think - you have to see with your own eyes, as all we say is theory; in the end you must feel happy with the quality you're selling, and obviously the customer needs to be happy with the quality received.</p>

[john_thurston5]

<p>Resolution on a print that large is dependent on the viewing distance. You could easily print those pixel dimension file at 150 dpi and have very little pixilation, but only up to about 40" wide.<br />I have printed files from my Canon 5D MKIII up to 40X60 @150DPI for a vinyl wrap on a large vehicle, but then again it is typically not viewed at close distance.<br /><br />Look into the OnOne Software Product Perfect Resize, which should allow you to enlarge your original image to the size you need and even print a 300DPI file if necessary without any degradation of image quality.<br />I have used this product with older 8 Mpxl files to print at roughly 50" on the long dimension @ 300DPI and they looked great.</p>

[sarah_fox]

<p>I once made a "wallpaper" print of a 6.3 MP image that... well... covered a wall. It looked quite good. And I remember seeing a very large (maybe 4' x 8') print in a museum that came from an early 1.3 MP image, by my count of the pixel density. It looked pretty good too. I don't think you'll have any problem, except for the actual printing and framing.</p>

[DawsonPointers]

<p>Agree with Sarah and other posters (pardon the pun). I use On One's Perfect Resize. Once used, you can pixel peep; but, remember that few if any will view a 70"w print from 6" (tends to get nose prints on the glass). We have Poster Jack here in Canada and they'll do the upsizing and give an honest opinion about quality before printing.</p>

[ellis_vener_photography]

While the pressing software and techniques that people are mentioning are very good, if you are working with a high

quality lab I urge to let them handle that part of the processing and also any sharpening that is beyond very gentle

capture sharpening of your raw file.

[alan_cox3]

<p>Yes, Perfect Resize, and consider printing it on canvas. The texture will help mask any apparent pixelation and lack of resolution. Canvas mounting can be less expensive and lighter. With something that large you need to be aware of reflections as well. Depending on lighting there may be no good vantage point to avoid them. So regardless of the actual paper/canvas, you may have to resort to a matte or luster finish.</p>

[mike_earussi1]

<p>I've been experimenting with Phototex which can be used to make murals of any size:<br>

[Uhooru]

<p>Concur with Ellis.</p>

[ellis_vener_photography]

By "pressing software" I thought I had typed "uprezzing software." My apologies for any confusion.