Biggest print size?

[SteveH]

Anyone know what the biggest high quality print that can be achieved using an S2? Had a client ask - she wants a huge print to hang on a wall - several feet H x W.

Thanks

Steve

[Swampy]

Define high quality?

In general, it's all relative to the viewing distance that's expected.

I think it was SneakyRacer who had an S2 print put up on the side of a building type of size. Sure up close 1 foot away, it probably looked like total crap, but from 50 feet away, it probably looked awesome.

I've done prints to 24x36 from the S2's JPG files without any problem at all. Going from a RAW file would probably have been better, but that's how I shot it and it looks great even up close.

[HulaMike]

Ditto Swampy.

It really depends on the quality of the image and file, editing and final prep for output. I routinely print 23.5"x35" on an HP DJ130 inkjet and get amazingly good prints even viewed up close.

[chaser of light]

I have a client printing a banner 9 foot by 14 from an S2 file I did for them ....its still with the printer so have not seen it yet...will let you know when i see it.....but im sure as Swampy says it will have a lot to do with viewing distance :cheers:

[Melody]

I've done several prints with the S2 at 24 x 36 Bryan has some, it's not only the viewing distance it's also what it is printed on, we've used various papers, and types of canvas via the epson 9600.

I've successfully printed 28 x 40 from the 4mp D2h on fabric as well via dye submlimation with another 9600 printer. Oh and I have printed a 36 x 53 image from an s2 however it was on fabric as well, I couldn't tell you the quality that would have on paper.

Melody

[PortageBay]

Wow those are some impressive dimensions.

Max, what was the size of the file that handed over to the printer for that banner?

Don

[chaser of light]

Don,
I gave them a 34 MB tiff file

[SteveH]

Define high quality - that's a very good question. That's why I didn't specifiy because as the old saying goes: "Beauty is in the eye of the cheque book holder." Just wondered if anyone had printed a "huge" wall hanging print for domestic use where the viewer is invariably going to get close in to have a good look.

Have seen one from a Canon EOS 1 Ds Mark II - superb quality but matched by the price tag of the camera body let alone any glassware to hang on it!

[Melody]

Well could you put into dimensions what your definition of 'huge' is? Yours and mine and others might be different :)

One thing you could try for a much lessor expense of just trying it to see is take your image do all the processing tweaking, q-image, ps work whatever then take a "cut" out of it at 100% and print that, even at 8 x 10 or something it might give you a good idea :) It's also much easier to judge if your going to use the same paper that will be used in your large print.



Melody

[SteveH]

Yeah - I think this will need a more sytematic approach. The only trouble I've found with the "swatch" approach is that it never really matches the real thing - bit like a jig-saw piece compared to the whole thing. Perhaps I'll risk a few sheets of A3+ - do say 3 or 4 and stick them together! That'll give about 36" x 26" and if that is a section of a print...may work

[proberts]

Define high quality - that's a very good question. That's why I didn't specifiy because as the old saying goes: "Beauty is in the eye of the cheque book holder." Just wondered if anyone had printed a "huge" wall hanging print for domestic use where the viewer is invariably going to get close in to have a good look.

Have seen one from a Canon EOS 1 Ds Mark II - superb quality but matched by the price tag of the camera body let alone any glassware to hang on it!

If you need the ultimate, and price is an issue, Velvia in 5x7 is quite nice, I suppose it's better in 8x10. It's actually pretty darned good at 4x5, and 4x5s are probably going for a song now... Depends on the subject as to if that's an option, I suppose.

Paul

[PLucky]

This one ... 40X52 on canvas... why that size you ask? The woman ordering it had an antique frame she wanted to use. It did come out lovely and the printer told me we could have printed it the same size on paper and even larger on canvas if we desired while maintaining quality. Subject matter being subjective... I would imagine that you really need good exposure to print very large images. You would have to find out from your particular print shop on an individual file to see what the optimum quality would be and what they feel would give you an excellent size print for any particular image.

[deMille]

Katy,

All excellent advise. Optimum exposure is an absolute for producing large prints. The bigger the enlargement, every flaw is shown that much bigger as well. Digital, really, truly, has less latitude than transparency film and it shows if you just try and fudge it in Photoshop or whatever. But a properly exposed digital file will do very well as a billboard.

Dale

[Auminer]

PLucky, just curious, where is the handle for the parasol? Looks like she is holding it, but... Truly a lovely shot though :righton:

Dave

[PLucky]

The parasol is the same one she held in a portrait when she was three, and in several other portraits throughout her childhood and her mother wanted to use it again one last time as she was 18 here in this image. I just worked with her. The handle is straight and fairly short so it is hidden in her hands. A parasol designed for an adult would have been a good bit larger and the handle would have been much longer and likely a distraction. I like the proportions of it in this image as she isnt a very large girl at all.

~Katy

[Linda G]

What they said.

Working in a pro lab, we routinely printed digital files from wallet to 30 x 40 size and if the exposure was right to begin with, the print (from all pro digital cameras ) was stunning.

Plucky hit it right, though. Find out who's printing it and what preparation they want from you. Our advice is less is better.

[SteveH]

I agree - I think that the issue will be the exposure and the lens being used - and I guess making sure that the whole frame of the original image is being used.

Steve

[stevebri]

I shot this shell as a RAW and eventually had a print made up 1mx1m thats 39' x 39' in old money.

Remember this was a crop of the original 3:2 ratio, I love the print and the quality of it, I used Genuine Fracurals to rez it up and I think the file size was around 220mb.

It hangs on my stairway so you can view it from a balcony or pass beside it, either way the quality still amazes me.

It is on this thread here with some tips.

http://www.theswampbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3464

[SteveH]

Great shot - superb tonal range. How was it printed? I presume a lab using a 300 ppi res file? Just goes to show what the humble S2 can produce in the right hands.

[stevebri]

Steve it was printed on traditional photo paper, so one of those big printers that Adorama, costco etc use.

It was printed in Brazil whilst i was living there, the cost was R$270 roughly $100.

In New York it would be $270 or more I imagine, I love it.

The lighting was done by using a Vivitar 283 flashgun on a Vivitar 1m sync cord. This handy cord lets you use the flashgun off camera whilst retaining it's features... very handy.

We just pointed it at the white cieling and took a meter reading...bingo...!!!

S