Mike Milicia
06-11-2008, 09:40 AM
I recently purchased an Epson 7880 and I am beginning to experiment with making large prints
(20" x 30"). Trial and error can get expensive very quickly at these sizes so I thought I might be
able to jump start the process a bit by seeking advice from the more experienced printers out there.
I was previously printing a maximum size of 12" x 18" on an Epson R2400 using PS.
I do all my work on a Mac and I really don't want to introduce Windows (virtual or otherwise)
for any part of my workflow so Qimage is not an option.
My main subjects are birds and wildlife (mostly birds) so I need to reproduce a very fine level of detail.
There aren't many bird images that make sense at 20" x 30" but I do have a few, mostly of
larger birds, and I'd like to get them to look relatively as good as my 12" x 18" prints.
Any tips would be appreciated but here are some of the initial questions that I am trying to answer :
1 - Assuming I have a critically sharp image, how many pixels do I need to start with to get good results
at 20" x 30" ? I am currently using a 1D Mark III so my maximum starting point is 10.1 MP.
2 - What is the best way to do this level of upsizing and with what tools, PS or some other product ?
3 - If I am normally happy with my 12" x 18" prints using USM at 350/1.5/0 with an edge mask, is there a rule
of thumb for how to adjust these parameters when going larger, i.e. to 20" x 30" ?
Or should I be using a different tool/method altogether for sharpening?
Thanks for your help !
(20" x 30"). Trial and error can get expensive very quickly at these sizes so I thought I might be
able to jump start the process a bit by seeking advice from the more experienced printers out there.
I was previously printing a maximum size of 12" x 18" on an Epson R2400 using PS.
I do all my work on a Mac and I really don't want to introduce Windows (virtual or otherwise)
for any part of my workflow so Qimage is not an option.
My main subjects are birds and wildlife (mostly birds) so I need to reproduce a very fine level of detail.
There aren't many bird images that make sense at 20" x 30" but I do have a few, mostly of
larger birds, and I'd like to get them to look relatively as good as my 12" x 18" prints.
Any tips would be appreciated but here are some of the initial questions that I am trying to answer :
1 - Assuming I have a critically sharp image, how many pixels do I need to start with to get good results
at 20" x 30" ? I am currently using a 1D Mark III so my maximum starting point is 10.1 MP.
2 - What is the best way to do this level of upsizing and with what tools, PS or some other product ?
3 - If I am normally happy with my 12" x 18" prints using USM at 350/1.5/0 with an edge mask, is there a rule
of thumb for how to adjust these parameters when going larger, i.e. to 20" x 30" ?
Or should I be using a different tool/method altogether for sharpening?
Thanks for your help !