Large print advice needed.

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RayJ

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Ray
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Hi all,

A friend has asked me how he would go about having an image printed to an 8' x 4' panel.
I am not familiar with printing methods, but is this possible?
The image is to be mounted to a panel which will then be mounted to a ceiling.

What resolution would the image need to be for a decent print?

Thanks in advance

Ray
 
First off you need to know who is going to print the image. Then you have to ask what size file they would need. Most will want a TIFF file and probably unsharpened, as the last one i got done, was sharpened at the printing stage.
I guess if you converted your jpeg image as a TIFF you should have more than enough pixels present to print. That; just my opinion and im not a print expert.
 
Hi ,
Thanks for the reply, I will forward this advice to him.
Just to clarify, the image is to be 96 inches x 48 inches.
I wasn't sure if you could get a decent print that size.

Ray
 
Firstly, just how big a file is it to start with I.e. a full frame file has more potential than one taken with a small point & shoot compact.

Secondly, what viewing distance because if you print say a 16x20 incjl to be viewed on a wall you ideally need resolution of 300dpi but if printed as a big poster to viewed from 30ft or more then you can get a decent looking print done at 100dpi or less.

So without details starting with the file/image dimensions even a lab could not tell you how large their could manage with appropriate uprezzing.
 
The file will be from a D7100, so 24MP.
The image will be mounted to the ceiling in his child's room , so it will be viewed at maximum of 8 feet.
the image will be of the sky and clouds (just as if you looked up outside)

Thanks for the reply.
 
Thanks droj,
I'll check that out.

Ray
 
You will also need to ask if the printers in question will require an sRGB or CMYK colour space file. You may shoot on either sRGB or Adobe camera raw, but commercial printers often only work in either sRGB or CMYK. You may have to convert to their requirements
 
Apart from image quality, the logistics of the whole scheme will have to be worked out.

A wallpaper print could be pasted (or adhered) directly - but with the risk of damage to it during the installation, which could be costly. I've seen them on walls & they look uncannily like part of the wall surface - a very integrated look.

If a print was mounted on foamboard (light in weight), that could be anchored to the ceiling with velcro patches, say, but its thickness would be revealed around its edges. These could be masked with a light frame affixed at intervals to the ceiling structure. But this solution would look like a framed picture rather than integral to the ceiling surface as before.
 
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RayJ said:
Hi ,
Thanks for the reply, I will forward this advice to him.
Just to clarify, the image is to be 96 inches x 48 inches.
I wasn't sure if you could get a decent print that size.

Ray
Click to expand...
We (Loxley) have a 50 inch poly printer that can print that size photographically (c type).
Otherwise you are looking at inkjet or UV, uv can print direct to substrate at that size.
You would need to think about weight and how it's to be hung
 
We print those size Foam Ex Boards... And we will do it cheaper than any other firm. Even Foam ex will need fixing to ceiling and if not done correctly will take you plaster board off.
Velcro that size is not an option if you have small humans underneath. Best option is to do like wall paper and paste it.

We do a lot of this exhibition size work.

Call David on 01865 368734

Delivery will probably cost as much as the board... 8ft x 4ft
 
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Daryl said:
Even Foam ex will need fixing to ceiling and if not done correctly will take you plaster board off.
Click to expand...
I'm listening, Daryl, but surely it ain't heavy enough?
Daryl said:
Velcro that size is not an option if you have small humans underneath.
Click to expand...
You mean the ceiling component of the Velcro could part from the substrate? Well, yes ... though I did postulate a structurally-fixed perimeter frame which would act as a fail-safe ...
 
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Some quick thoughts about resolution.

The original image is 24 mega pixels, which will be 6000 x 4000 pixels. The print is to be 96 inches by 48 inches, which isn't quite the same shape as the image, so it will need to be cropped a bit. The image to be printed will be 6000 x 3000 pixels so the resolution will be 62.5 ppi.

Thats not a lot, but it's all you have, so there's nothing that can be done. At that resolution, someone with 20/20 vision would be able to see pixellation if they were to view the image from closer than about 5 feet. So somebody lying in bed would not see any pixellation, but somebody standing up probably would unless your ceilings are quite high.
 
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