Hi res images

Slightly Bunkers

Hello

I use a canon 400D. I was looking to put sime of my work up around an office building I have moved into. I was hoping to get some large senic shots on canvas. The printer said my shots were 72DPI and for the sizes I wanted they would need to be 300DPI. I have not been shooting in RAW but I don't think that would increase the DPI. Is it the camera? Is 72DPI the highest res I can get? Not great on the techie stuff so answers in understandable english please!!!

Thanks

magicbastarder

the DPI is just metadata - it does not change the contents of the file, but it's an instruction to the printer to print the shots at (as currently on your files) 72 pixels to the inch; this is low res for stuff you'd hang on walls which is going to be viewed from several feet away.
you should be able to change the DPI yourself in an image editing program - as mentioned, it should not have to result in any change to the resolution of the image.
who's your printer? is he not flexible enough to print them at 300dpi?

Slightly Bunkers

Thanks for that! I only have picassa or whatever image software comes with the computer. The printer is very flexible. Could they change the DPI?

magicbastarder

it's worth asking; i'd say most shots printed from cameras are printed at 300dpi regardless of the DPI setting on the file.

PCPhoto

can you post a sample image and we can see if we may be able to help.

Thecageyone

I always wonder about this, do all cameras use 72dpi as a base? After processing most of my files seem to be 240dpi, I think lightroom must be set to save them at that? Is there any difference if you're not printing

stcstc

the 240 is a lightroom default setting, have a look at preffs u will find it and be able to change to 300 etc

Slightly Bunkers

Here is one of the shots I sent in

DotOrg

Slightly Bunkers wrote: »

The printer said my shots were 72DPI and for the sizes I wanted they would need to be 300DPI.

if your printer makes statements like this, ignore them and go somewhere else. an image can have a billion pixels and still be set as 72dpi

in the same way an image could be 100pixels x 100 pixels and be 300dpi - it would look horrible printed

look, the images below show:
the pixel numbers (the most important)
the size in inches if you print this image at a set dpi

PCPhoto

looking at the original image and adjusting the dpi to 300 (in photoshop) - the image size is 12.96 x 7.273 (inches)....if you want to print it that size you will have no problems.

like what Dotorg says - if the printer has an issue with it - go somewhere else.


What size are you trying to print the canvas/image ?

AnCatDubh

I'd suggest you have a PM with steve (stcstc from earlier posts) - he's a professional printer and many from the forum have used his services with cracking results all round. He does canvas and I know that you can get away with much less in terms of dpi for canvas due to (I think) the way the canvas will soak up the ink, and the image will lose its sharpness - by that reckoning I would think 300dpi is way overkill. Steve will be better able to advise as to the actual requirements for your desired size.