Printing BIG

I recently took this picture that i love and i want to get it printed big, but i am curious as to how big I can go without rendering any quality. It's somewhat of a panoramic shot if that helps, its dimensions as of now are 3456x1842. The picture was taken with my Rebel XT. Also curious to know where you guys order these prints from.

Thanks for the help,
Ben

Open the file in photoshop.

Go to Image-->Image Size.
Set the resolution to 72dpi.
Now go to View-> Print Size
Thats how its going to look printed.

I have printed a good 20x30 from my XT, and an acceptable 30x40 (assuming you're 2-3ft away from it).

anything 16x20 or smaller dont worrie about.

Anyone who relys soly on DPI to suggest a print size to you isnt a good source. 72 is USUALLY the lowest accepted, but if you play with the image size box (dont check resample) you can get to see your max size.

On CS2 when i open the file, it says that the image size is 25x48 inches. If i print at this size will i get a high res phot?? Or do i need to resize it a bit, if so to what size??

Also where would i order a print of this size from?

Once again, thanks,
Ben

www.showprints.com has mailorder. Ask for David or Ken, and tell them JJ sent you. They will be more than happy to help you determine max print size. Its the lab I used to work for.

If you want to hit me up on aim tonite I can tell you how large it will print...

If you print it on a heavy-tooth canvas you can print a 20x38 @ 90dpi. It will come out looking stellar. No interpolation needed. You could probably take it 30x57 or so with a little hokery-pokery.

The general rule of thumb for dpi that I've heard is:
72 = screen resolution
150 = newsprint
200 = magazine
300 = photo quality
We use 72 dpi images for placement only (FPO) but supply hi-rez images for anything to be printed.

photodd:

Only two minor expansions on your dpi list. At my newspaper, I use 180 dpi because some presses can handle the additional resolution. For magaiznes, 200 dpi is fine for pulp (newspaper type paper publications), but glossy mags want the 300 dpi of print quality.

I've used interpolation to make prints at 300 dpi from a 6.3 megapixel RAW image to 20x30, and they can go bigger. I've printed the same size using the 8.2 Mp 20D, but have not made a 20D image bigger than that yet.

But the advice about contacting a specific print business is sound. They'll know how well they can massage an image to get the best mix of max size/quality.

Steve,
All good advice. My only concern was handing over a 72 dpi file to a printer. I'm sure, though, that Uncle Doug and others are OK with their approach...each their own.

I talked with him over AIM, and he has called the lab I used to work at. I believe that the image will be shipped out today or tommarow, hopefully to his liking

jj1987 wrote:
I talked with him over AIM, and he has called the lab I used to work at. I believe that the image will be shipped out today or tommarow, hopefully to his liking

So what size did it get printed at and on what media?