Turning a 4 megapixel image into a poster... Can it be done?

[aphex]

Anyone know where i could get poster size prints of 4 megapixel images i took?

Any idea on the cost?

 

[TommyVercetti]

Kinko's. Don't know the cost.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

how big a poster? if you go to big it will pixelate.

 

[GoingUp]

I can do it at my work for free But you dont want to print larger than 11x17 with a 4mp print.

 

[yoda291]

goto kinkos...you should be ok. Most of the ones round here carry the new HPs and encads that go up to 2400dpi.... but posters used to be printed as low as 600 dpi. The guy there will know more tho. I have a book of equations for converting pixels to inches and quality loss that ensues.

/me owns an encad 600e and colorspan dm4000.

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: yoda291
goto kinkos...you should be ok. Most of the ones round here carry the new HPs and encads that go up to 2400dpi.... but posters used to be printed as low as 600 dpi. The guy there will know more tho. I have a book of equations for converting pixels to inches and quality loss that ensues.

/me owns an encad 600e and colorspan dm4000.

Very little professionally printed work is done at even 600 dpi. Four color artwork is normally printed at 350dpi. The quality of the printed peice depends far more on the printer and the paper type than on the resolution. Some digital presses even print full color as low as 150dpi, and would be more than adequate for a poster.

 

[aphex]

So how much pixelation would i be looking at if i decided to turn it into a poster about 24-36" across and the corresponding height?

 

[yoda291]

Originally posted by: Tyler

Originally posted by: yoda291
goto kinkos...you should be ok. Most of the ones round here carry the new HPs and encads that go up to 2400dpi.... but posters used to be printed as low as 600 dpi. The guy there will know more tho. I have a book of equations for converting pixels to inches and quality loss that ensues.

/me owns an encad 600e and colorspan dm4000.

Very little professionally printed work is done at even 600 dpi. Four color artwork is normally printed at 350dpi. The quality of the printed peice depends far more on the printer and the paper type than on the resolution. Some digital presses even print full color as low as 150dpi, and would be more than adequate for a poster.

My point is, however, that there are tables to convert from digital images to printed medium and there is a limit as to how large you can push it b4 you take that quality hit. My recommendation to goto kinkos was based on the fact that they're machines are more forgiving in terms of the conversion. If you're ever in NYC, pick up one of the club flyers you see on the street, often, those are ticket stub designs that got stretched past this limit because organizers are too cheap to spring for seperate designs and designing a small stub is cheaper than a full color poster.

Anyways...I still say kinkos should do the trick.