Which comes out sharper, a screen image or a print?

Just wondering which is traditionally sharper, the image on the screen or the printed image.

I believe print is.

generally prints.

Interesting that you guys say print.

I think it's the other way 'round. You can push sharpening on screen to the point where it looks to be slightly too much, but you won't see it that "crispy" in the final print. Especially when you start to get up to 12x18s or larger.

Gotta agree with Jay on this one. Every tutorial I've ever seen on softproofing states that you must oversharpen that image...the very act of printing will soften it.

chauncey wrote in post #9377121
Gotta agree with Jay on this one. Every tutorial I've ever seen on softproofing states that you must oversharpen that image...the very act of printing will soften it.

Interesting. I was under the impression that prints will generally produce sharper images. I'll have to test that out.

All I know is that my prints are unquestionably superior to anything on see on the screen.

Without testing it, I would say the screen image would be sharper (given the same workflow) and displayed at the same actual size.

This would be due to the nature of ink (being liquid there is a minute amount of bleed/spread) whereas a pixel is always a pixel and will never change size or shape.

I have a 27" monitor which measures (roughly) 24" wide x 15" high

It is resolution is 2560×1600, so about 106 dpi.

I regularly print at 300 or 600 dpi.

Either 300 or 600 > 106.

Printer has MUCH BETTER resolution, and therefore presents a much sharper image.

If anyone is using a monitor that displays 300dpi, I would be interesting in seeing it.

Rad

According to DekeMcClelland, (IIRC), when print is viewed on print size, and image is shown on "print size" view in PSCS4 (with screen resolution properly set up and supported grapics card) or reduced to be 'print sized' at 100% view with older versions PS (using bicubic) the screen is showing slightly sharper. (because ink has dot gain in paper (again: IIRC))
Others disagree: Thread

Also: IMO, paper choice has a *lot* of impact.

Still have to test this out for myself, but sice my graphic card doesn't support any PSCS4 fancyness, I still do it the old "guesstimation" way

Radtech1 wrote in post #9379269
Either 300 or 600 > 106.

Yeah, sure. And the printers native resolution might be 360 or 720ppi. And it might print 1440dpi or 5760 dpi.

But the question was which looks sharper, not which has a higher resolution. Not the same IMO.

It'd be interesting to do some tests, but how do you compare?
"I think this looks sharper". "No, I think this looks sharper"

I use a Mitsubishi CRT monitor and my screen images look sharper than my (or Costco's) prints when viewed at the same size and distance.

But maybe that's because the CRT has a couple of stops more dynamic range...

-js

Screen definitively. Try using 2MP to make a print the same size as my 24" (diagonal) wide screen LCD. It will look pretty sad compared to my LCD monitor.

Screen is far sharper than print and takes fewer pixels. In many ways, LCDs are superior for image presentation than print. But LCD's of this range cost $300 and a 13"x19" print costs $5 or so.

Radtech1 wrote in post #9379269
I regularly print at 300 or 600 dpi.

Printer has MUCH BETTER resolution, and therefore presents a much sharper image.

If anyone is using a monitor that displays 300dpi, I would be interesting in seeing it.

I strongly disagree. The thing is your don't need a monitor to display 300ppi (not dpi). There's always the statement "don't use 100% view to judge IQ because that'd be the same as a huge print". Well look at what a 24" wide screen monitor can do for your 2MP at 100% view of a well captured image! It can make it look as good as viewing the whole image on the screen at the same time!

The reason printers many people send images to printers at 300 ppi is that a 100 ppi print would not look very good up close, yet you can do that with a 100 ppi view on your computer screen! LCDs are superior to print except for price and portability!

another factor is that light is produced by the monitor, and reflected by the print. the viewed surface of the screen is flat and smooth, the media that you print on is probably not, and will scatter some light at various angles, also affected by the source angle of the reflected light. All this adds up to less than crisp transitions from one area to another on the print, as seen by the human eye.
Thats the way I learned it anyway.

Remember that a lot of factors influence apparent sharpness of an image, such as contrast, brightness, relative "shininess" of media, viewing distance, and much more.