Luminous Landscape Forum
Raw & Post Processing, Printing => Printing: Printers, Papers and Inks => Topic started by: feppe on December 03, 2009, 02:29:46 pm
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I'm curious to hear what is the largest print size you print at regularly. Not the occasional large print, but the size you use for the majority of your non-proof prints.
There has been quite a bit of discussion here and elsewhere with different variations of "you need to print at least size X by Y to see the difference between camera A and B." As the X and Y seem to grow each camera generation, I've started becoming skeptical about the applicability of such statements.
For example, I only print at 13x19 inches for my own use, and the biggest print I have is 70cm x 70cm. Even if I had a 17" printer, I don't have the room on my walls to display multiple large prints.
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You forgot us panographers, the guys who make really WIDE prints in proportion to height from stitched images that definitely have enough resolution for huge sizes.
Little prints are fine, but big honkin' prints are what sells for me right now. I get calls from galleries and decorators looking for big pieces specifically. There are a lot of king-size wall spaces in conference rooms, offices, reception areas, under clerestory windows, etc where normal sized prints just get lost. From a pure marketing point of view, just right now there are more business buyers looking for impressive pieces of size than there are home owners looking for small or medium sized art.
But I can't display anything I print in my smallish house, except stacked vertically against the wall. Maybe someday I'll frame up a few of the 10x24 test prints I have rolled up on the shelf.
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You forgot us panographers, the guys who make really WIDE prints in proportion to height from stitched images that definitely have enough resolution for huge sizes.
Little prints are fine, but big honkin' prints are what sells for me right now. I get calls from galleries and decorators looking for big pieces specifically. There are a lot of king-size wall spaces in conference rooms, offices, reception areas, under clerestory windows, etc where normal sized prints just get lost. From a pure marketing point of view, just right now there are more business buyers looking for impressive pieces of size than there are home owners looking for small or medium sized art.
But I can't display anything I print in my smallish house, except stacked vertically against the wall. Maybe someday I'll frame up a few of the 10x24 test prints I have rolled up on the shelf.
I sure didn't, last option is 30x45 or larger.
Of course there are exceptions, and some people will print constantly at 1 by 3 meters (well, maybe not). I would imagine LL audience prints quite a bit larger on average than the average camera user (even when excluding most of us dilettantes).
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You didn't even include 17x25 or 16x24. I was only printing up to 13 x 19 but more recently with the addition of the 3880 at home I am printing larger prints and hanging them on the walls, also giving some to family and friends.
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Most commonly, I print at 12x18 or 12x15 on 13x19 paper (mostly Ilford Gold Fiber Silk on a r2880) ... I've found that ideal for a 12MP camera like the D700. My biggest print from the D700 is a 24 x 36 that looks great, but the DOF is shallow and the field is dominated by creamy bokeh. I wouldn't print that large if there was lots of important detail from a single capture.
Even when I stitch, I tend to still print at those sizes.
When I use a single capture, I get 240dpi ... when I turn over and stitch to achieve comparable aspects I get 350 dpi.
I figure I'll move up to a 24" printer down the road when I go to 24MP+.
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Other: 15x20 (17x22" paper with a 1" margin all the way around)
Other: 1'x3'
Panos are fun!
Neil
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Other: 15x20 (17x22" paper with a 1" margin all the way around)
Other: 1'x3'
Panos are fun!
Neil
I could have included hundreds of different options if IP.Board allowed hundreds of options, and if I had the patience. It doesn't and I don't. Pick the closest equivalent.
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Slightly off-topic ...
... My biggest print from the D700 is a 24 x 36 that looks great, but the DOF is shallow and the field is dominated by creamy bokeh. I wouldn't print that large if there was lots of important detail from a single capture ...
BTW ... Has anyone else noticed that low-iso digital bokeh seems to enlarge better than film bokeh?
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I figure I'll move up to a 24" printer down the road when I go to 24MP+.
I have a 24" printer ready for 60 Mpx H4D-60 24 *17 @360 ppi single shot and 24" * 36" or whatever single row stitched @ 240ppi.
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36" X 87" pano on its way through my 9900. Bills right Big is in! 24 stitched images. Print file size 1gb.
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36" X 87" pano on its way through my 9900. Bills right Big is in! 24 stitched images. Print file size 1gb.
Hey Dan, nice medium sized print!
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36" X 87" pano on its way through my 9900. Bills right Big is in! 24 stitched images. Print file size 1gb.
I only have a puny 2880. Just for fun, how long does it take to print that sucker?
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Yes Bill they can go alot bigger!
I think it took 30 or 40 minutes to print. I leave it print in hi-speed (bidirectional) as I see no quality difference,and its twice as fast.
John Paul Caponigro had a pretty good comment about print speed. He said he was becoming a little soft since aquiring his new Epson. He always gets on his weight machine while he waits for his prints to print. Now that this one is so much faster he is getting far less time to work his muscles.
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Hi!
I use essentially two formats, A4 and A2. What goes on the wall is A2. If I print larger I get my prints from a lab, using Durst Lambda.
Best regards
Erik
I'm curious to hear what is the largest print size you print at regularly. Not the occasional large print, but the size you use for the majority of your non-proof prints.
There has been quite a bit of discussion here and elsewhere with different variations of "you need to print at least size X by Y to see the difference between camera A and B." As the X and Y seem to grow each camera generation, I've started becoming skeptical about the applicability of such statements.
For example, I only print at 13x19 inches for my own use, and the biggest print I have is 70cm x 70cm. Even if I had a 17" printer, I don't have the room on my walls to display multiple large prints.
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Yes Bill they can go alot bigger!
I think it took 30 or 40 minutes to print.
Yes I was thinking that would take over an hour on my more glacially paced 9880. More than enough time to make a couple of medium-well thought out posts here, or maybe even glue down a few canvases or cut a couple frames. Yes 1440 Bidirectional is the only way to go on those biggies, of course you can run calibrations to fine tune the printer for that, but for canvas that must be done on similar weight smooth surface paper. If only I could train my cat to keep the print stretched out on the floor!
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Pretty big gap between 20x24 and 30x45 ... my most common size is 24x30.
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Pretty big gap between 20x24 and 30x45 ... my most common size is 24x30.
Mine too,
Bill