viewing 1:1 print size on a 21" monitor
JG
I am working on a large digital painting.
I have enough RAM for a 5000x5000 pixel image.
So if I want the print resolution to be 150dpi, I can make the painting
33"x33" (5000 pixels divided by 150).
Or if I want the print resolution to be 200dpi, I can make the painting
25"x25 (5000 pixels divided by 200)"
(I think my math is correct).
Either size and resolution is fine with me, but trying to get an accurate
sense of size onscreen is a little frustrating. I currently run my 21"
monitor at 1600x1200 resolution. Considering that the monitor displays 96
pixels per inch...at what zoom level do I need to be at to see my painting
at the actual size it would be when printed? Or at what zoom level would be
closest to the actual print size?
Many thanks in advance,
JG
grayehound
It'd help a bit if you gave us a little more info than what you have
here, but I guess we can go on assumption.
Pixels on screen and the dots used in halftone printing have little
correlation in size. This makes it a bit more difficult to describe
what you are looking at. The general rule of thumb used by just about
every professional designer I've ever met is to make the pixels per inch
(ppi) in Photoshop, etc. 150-200% of the final dot per inch (dpi)
resolution of the halftone screen. If the image is going to be output
at 85 dots per inch (really only good for newspapers), then a resolution
(at 100% of the final file size) should be between 127 and 170 ppi. Any
higher is a waste of file space, any lower and the image becomes fuzzy
or even pixelated.
Find out from the company doing the printing of the poster what
resolution in dpi they are printing at, decide what size you want to
make the image and it shouldn't be to difficult to go from there. Your
33" x 33" image printed at a good art-print quality of 200 dpi (it could
go higher for some waterless presses) would be saved at a resolution of
300 - 400 ppi. Your 5000 x 5000 pixel image would be a little more than
16.5" square at the 300 ppi image.
Now, viewing this on-screen is an exercise in futility. On-screen value
are fine and dandy, and with experience you can actually guess what most
of your colors are going to turn out like, but monitors will never
display color exactly like it appears in print. Thus, you get
matchprints and do press checks to make sure you get what you want.
Hope that helps!
grayehound
Dimitri
If it's Photoshop you would just click on VIEW / print size.
The zoom percentage is in the lower left of screen.
JG wrote:
>
> Hello.
>
> I am working on a large digital painting.
>
....
JG
Sorry, it's Deep Paint.
JG
Deep Paint.
> Find out from the company doing the printing of the poster what
> resolution in dpi they are printing at, decide what size you want to
> make the image and it shouldn't be to difficult to go from there. Your
> 33" x 33" image printed at a good art-print quality of 200 dpi (it could
> go higher for some waterless presses) would be saved at a resolution of
> 300 - 400 ppi. Your 5000 x 5000 pixel image would be a little more than
> 16.5" square at the 300 ppi image.
I would be sending the files to be outputted via an Iris inkjet printer.
> Now, viewing this on-screen is an exercise in futility. On-screen value
> are fine and dandy, and with experience you can actually guess what most
> of your colors are going to turn out like, but monitors will never
> display color exactly like it appears in print. Thus, you get
> matchprints and do press checks to make sure you get what you want.
Yep, Colorific isn't doing the best job in the world. I expect I'll have to
do some onsite color correction before printing.
Just wanted to find a way (if there is one) to match the actual on screen
scale to the printed output. Not match the colors up. I'll probably look
into finding a hardware solution for color matching sometime in the future.
> Hope that helps!
Thanks :-)
JG
> The zoom percentage is in the lower left of screen.
Ahh!
Thanks guys :-) I've got it now. Now I'm in business.
grayehound
JG wrote:
>
> > It'd help a bit if you gave us a little more info than what you have
>
> Deep Paint.
Kewl. Love the app, but don't use it very often.
>
> > Find out from the company doing the printing of the poster what
> > resolution in dpi they are printing at, decide what size you want to
> > make the image and it shouldn't be to difficult to go from there. Your
> > 33" x 33" image printed at a good art-print quality of 200 dpi (it could
> > go higher for some waterless presses) would be saved at a resolution of
> > 300 - 400 ppi. Your 5000 x 5000 pixel image would be a little more than
> > 16.5" square at the 300 ppi image.
>
> I would be sending the files to be outputted via an Iris inkjet printer.
Whoa...antiquity revisited. Well, the Iris prints out at 150 dpi, so
figure your image
has got to be 225-300 ppi to start looking decent. Color in the Iris
was fairly accurate
to what you get on a well calibrated monitor in excellent light, but the
inks begin to
turn colors after a year or less and faster if kept exposed. Dunno what
you are using this for, but the images should be modest quality. Might
I suggest you find someplace with a large format dye-sublimation printer
to work with instead? You will be MUCH happier with the color.
>
> > Now, viewing this on-screen is an exercise in futility. On-screen value
> > are fine and dandy, and with experience you can actually guess what most
> > of your colors are going to turn out like, but monitors will never
> > display color exactly like it appears in print. Thus, you get
> > matchprints and do press checks to make sure you get what you want.
>
> Yep, Colorific isn't doing the best job in the world. I expect I'll have to
> do some onsite color correction before printing.
> Just wanted to find a way (if there is one) to match the actual on screen
> scale to the printed output. Not match the colors up. I'll probably look
> into finding a hardware solution for color matching sometime in the future.
Wish I could help you more, but Deep Paint is one of those fringe
applicationsI haven't had the time to play with more. If you place your
image in Photoshop, I'd be able
to tell you exactly what to do. Sorry, bud.
grayehound
JG
>
> Whoa...antiquity revisited. Well, the Iris prints out at 150 dpi, so
> figure your image
> has got to be 225-300 ppi to start looking decent. Color in the Iris
> was fairly accurate
> to what you get on a well calibrated monitor in excellent light, but the
> inks begin to
> turn colors after a year or less and faster if kept exposed. Dunno what
> you are using this for, but the images should be modest quality. Might
> I suggest you find someplace with a large format dye-sublimation printer
> to work with instead? You will be MUCH happier with the color.
Didn't know the Iris fell out of favor already. Been doing alot of contract
3d stuff lately, so I haven't kept up with any print stuff. Last I heard,
the Iris was suppossedly the best bet for quality art prints. I assume there
are some impressive inkjet printers from other manufacturers out now, but I
haven't heard/read of ones that have knocked the Iris out of favor for such
jobs. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
It was quite some time ago that I got any Iris prints. And I gave them away,
so I don't know how the inks have fared over the years.
The paintings isn't a contract job or anything. It's just been so long since
I actually just sat down and painted...I decided that I would spend time
this year just getting away from 3d and back to the basics :-)
> Wish I could help you more, but Deep Paint is one of those fringe
> applicationsI haven't had the time to play with more. If you place your
> image in Photoshop, I'd be able
> to tell you exactly what to do. Sorry, bud.
Thanks for your help. A nice refresher course from my dtp days :-)