In the LL video tutorial Camera to Print, Jeff Schewe (corroborated by Michael Reichmann and previously by Bruce Fraser) advocates no manual interpolation when the native resolution falls between 180-480 ppi. Since viewing the video, I began practicing this method.
However (and there's always a "however" or a "but..."), I was unclear as to what would be the better treatment of files when they fall BELOW or ABOVE the 180-480ppi parameters. Obviously, up-/down-rezing is then necessary, but I see more than one way of doing this, and would appreciate your opinion as to which way would be preferred, if it makes any difference at all:
Method 1. If the native resolution if above or below 180-480 ppi, rez the file to 360 ppi, and send that to the (Epson) printer.
Method 2. If the native resolution is below 180 ppi, uprez to 180 ppi, then send that to the (Epson) printer, allowing it to do the final interpolation to 360 ppi. Conversely, if the native resolution is above 480 ppi, downrez to 480 ppi, and again, send that to the printer, allowing it to perform the final interpolation to 360 ppi.
Method 3. As an alternative to method 2, I could down rez directly to 360 ppi, while uprezing only to 180 ppi. This would help speed up the spooling process.
Any thoughts would be appreciated. Jeff or Michael - if you happen to be reading this inquiry, I'd certainly appreciate your opinion.
Thanks,
Michael H. Cothran
Nashville, TN