enlarging jpeg photos

[mamabravo]

so i have been going some arwork W/ photos and brushes in ps

my question is what should my resolution be when i print these past 11x20?

thanks

[bobrock111565]

so i have been going some arwork W/ photos and brushes in ps

my question is what should my resolution be when i print these past 11x20?

thanks

What printer are you using?

[bobrock111565]

What printer are you using?

Reason I ask this has nothing to do with size initially. It is because most printers have a "native" resolution" or OPTIMUM resolution at which they print without the need to internally "interpolate", or resize the pixels, or make other quality degrading changes inside the driver software. With Epson printers, the ideal high resolution for prints is 360ppi. Above that and you won't see much improvement. But if the image is larger, as in your case 11 ' x 20", you can step down somewhat, because the image will likely be viewed from a point further back than say an 8x10 image. So the next step down on an EPSON printer would be 288ppi, and then next step down 240ppi and down again to 180ppi. Where do these numbers come from? They all divide equally into the native resolution of the printer which is 1440 x 2880dpi.

So you must first determine the native (maximum) resolution of your printer.
Then you must determine for yourself how low you can go and still not see the dots noticeably. I usually take a small image and print a test strip in various resolutions. Then I tape it to a wall and stand back to where I think most people will view the image and determine which resolution is best. Personally, I would print even an 11x20 print at 360ppi on my Epson 4000, because many people might just get their face right up close to view the detail. But any larger, and I would probably drop it down slightly to save ink.

It is a common mistake for people to think that 300ppi is universally the optimum resolution for inkjects. Check the resolution of the printer and take it from there.

Bob

[mamabravo]

this is something that i need to take to get printed
my hp photosmat only prints up to 8X10

[bobrock111565]

this is something that i need to take to get printed
my hp photosmat only prints up to 8X10

Well then you need to contact your printer. It's entirely up to them.

Remember that if you enlarge the image in PS, you will not have GREAT results. You can get slightly better image enlargement using a dedicated software program like Genuine Fractals or similar program.

If you do use PS, remember to use Bicubic Smoother as your interpolation setting. Many believe also that you can get better results if you don't make the full enlargement all at once. For example, just enlarge the image about 10% each time until you reach the desired size. There has been evidence to show that this method will yield smoother enlargements, rather than making large jumps in size all at once.

Bob