Sharpening (and sites) for a 12x18 print

[Scottes]

I once read that images for print should be over-sharpened a bit. I've got an image that I definitely want printed and framed at 12x18, which means that it's a little expensive to experiment. Any hints or tips on taking a shot from a 10D and printing at 12x18? I've upsized using 10% steps, adjusted contrast, and it looks good so far. But that statement about over-sharpening throws me into a bit of concern.

Color management is also a concern. My monitor looks good, but it is certainly not calibrated. I've stuck to 16-bit TIFF with Adobe RGB the whole way. Will this be good for the printer? Should I worry about converting to the printing companies profile?

And any company recommendations would be appreciated. I am *not* looking for cheap - I'd rather pay extra knowing that the printer will ensure that the image looks good when printed.

Thanks in advance.

[robertwgross]

I'm curious. Why do you want a 12x18 print?

Sizes of 8x10 are common, and 11x14, and 16x20. I've found that as soon as I get outside of those common sizes, then the costs for a mat and frame go up quickly.

I print at 13x19 and then trim it down if necessary.

---Bob Gross---

[Scottes]

Because a 10D shot with no cropping comes out to 12x18. Pretty simple.

And as I said, I am not looking for cheap.

[gmitchel]

Canon 10D and many DSLR images are 2:3 aspect ratio.

Epson and most inkjet paper manufacturers make 13x19 paper for 12x18 prints.

Cheers,

Mitch

I'm curious. Why do you want a 12x18 print?

Sizes of 8x10 are common, and 11x14, and 16x20. I've found that as soon as I get outside of those common sizes, then the costs for a mat and frame go up quickly.

I print at 13x19 and then trim it down if necessary.

---Bob Gross---

[gmitchel]

Scottes:

I often print 12x18 on Arches Infinity or Epson Radiant White Watercolor.

I haver a tutorial on my Web site that is all about sharpening. It talks about how wide the halos should be for printed output.

http://www.thelightsright.com/DigitalDarkroom/Tutorials/PutAFineEdgeOnYourSharpeningSkills.pdf

Basically, you want them to be 1/50 to 1/100 of an inch. So, for something like 300 dpi, they should be 3-5 pixels wide.

Cheers,

Mitch

[gyelland]

I do a lot of printing for small one off special prints for all sorts of people.

http://www.clownloach.net/payment/handprint.html

see what you think ?

[dtrayers]

I've used dotPhoto.com with decent results. Ordered a 12x18.

[edit]

Well, I'm sorry, I did order a 12x18 print from them not long ago. Now it seems that 11x14 is the largest size.

[4walls]

If you are looking for a cheap experiment, try going down to your local
Costco and doing a print at 12x18. It should not cost you more than
about $5~7.

[PhotosGuy]

WHy not make 100% crop of a 4X6" section of the print. Rectangular Marquee 1/3 at the center & sharpen it as much as you think you should. Then Marquee the right 1/3 & sharpen it less. Marquee the left 1/3 & sharpen it more. Take it to the printer. That should give you some idea of what works. I get 4X6" prints for $.29 here.

[Scottes]

WHy not make 100% crop of a 4X6" section of the print. Rectangular Marquee 1/3 at the center & sharpen it as much as you think you should. Then Marquee the right 1/3 & sharpen it less. Marquee the left 1/3 & sharpen it more. Take it to the printer. That should give you some idea of what works. I get 4X6" prints for $.29 here.

That's actually what I decided to do! Now I just need to find the time...