What size is needed to make a print that is sharp on a wall?

3 years 9 months ago #686565 by Vladimir
I hope I'm asking this question right.  If you wanted to take one of your photos and have it printed to go on a wall, how larger would it need to be?  


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3 years 9 months ago #686567 by Nikon Shooter
Large = size = resolution.An 8 x 10 on the wall @ 300 ppi = 802 in X 300 = 24 000 pixels or
 a 4 x 5 on the wall @ 600 ppi = 402 in X 600 = 24 000 pixels.For greater prints, you can easily extrapolate on these. But remem-
ber, it all has to do with the viewing distance: the closer the more
pixels, the further the less pixels. Ex, billboards are at +/- 72 ppi.

Light is free… capturing it is not!
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3 years 9 months ago #686568 by garyrhook
The only quick answer is, "it depends."

Perceived sharpness is somewhat dependent upon viewing distance. You can make a 4"x6" and look at it from 10 feet, and it will look like a blob. You can print a 8'x10' (foot!) image and view it from 1 foot away, and it will lack detail.

There are four things that matter:
  1. how many megapixels you have,
  2. how far away you want to be,
  3. and how big a print you want to make
  4. print medium (glossy paper, matte paper, canvas, etc)
So, to add to the above, it is generally accepted that 300 DPI (dots per inch) for a print is reasonably sharp. That means that an 8" x 10" print would need 2400 x 3000 pixels, or 7.2MP, and be suitable for a viewing distance appropriate to a print of that size.

If you want to print a large canvas and view it from across the room, you can go as low as 100 DPI. Which means a 6000 x 4000 (24MP) pixel image could conceivably make a 60" x 40" canvas.

It also depends upon the quality of the printer and driver.


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3 years 9 months ago #686576 by Vladimir
Just seeing your comments, on phone and will check this out when I get to computer later.  Thank you!


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