Prepping Files for Commercial Printers

kanephotos

kanephotos

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Kane
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Hi guys,

Sorry for the basic questions, tried to do some searching but can't find any answers.

So I have a Raw image I've now edited and is saved as a Affinity Photo file. The file is 4330 x 2165px and I'm looking to print at 60cm x 30cm so 183DPI. First question is do I need to resize the image to this or just upload it at the standard 72DPI which I think it is now? Does this make sense or is DPI something not really represented by a digital file. Secondly should I just be exporting as a JPEG in sRGB or in a different colourspace/filetype? I've soft proofed it and it's looking good but that was the non-exported file.

The site I'm using (Whitewall) seems to support JPG & TIFF as well as RGB (sRGB, AdobeRGB, eciRGB, etc.) and CMYK.

Also, any recommendations other than Whitewall for the full service solution (print, mount & frame)?

Cheers
 
Let the printers do any resizing.

Export at max resolution (LR 100%, PS 12 - no idea about Affinity) in sRGB as a Jpeg.
 
DPI is a printer resolution (Dots per inch). It has nothing to do with a digital file but how many dots the printer can lay down.

PPI (pixels per inch) is only really relevant when resizing an image for print. It doesn't actually change the image but is just used as part of the calculation. When you export an image from PS or Affinity or LR the PPI really means nothing. Whether you export an image at 4330 x 2165px at 72ppi or 300ppi you are getting an identical file.

I would just export the image at full resolution and let the printer do the resizing. If they accept tif files, then I'd send a tif file.
 
First of all - I would check what the printer requires/advise.

I usually resize to the required print size at 300dpi, and use the colourspace recommended by the print company. That way you can check the file at 1:1 before sending.
 
Here's what a quick look at Whitewall's FAQs threw up...

Image File Requirements | WhiteWall

What file formats can I upload? What color space should I use? Are embedded color profiles supported? What color depth should I use? How large can my image file be produced?
www.whitewall.com www.whitewall.com

If you want/need more help, give them a ring.
 
Craikeybaby said:
First of all - I would check what the printer requires/advise.

I usually resize to the required print size at 300dpi, and use the colourspace recommended by the print company. That way you can check the file at 1:1 before sending.
Click to expand...


as was pointed out in the post above yours, that is utterly meaningless.
 
DemiLion said:
as was pointed out in the post above yours, that is utterly meaningless.
Click to expand...

It’s not really. If you export from LR to a specific size in inches instead of pixels then PPI is required to determine how many pixels the image needs to be whether that be down sizing or up sizing.

PPI is only used as part of the calculation when converting from a screen dimension to a physical dimension like inches, cm etc. and when printing so that the application knows how to resize the image.

When exporting to a pixel size, PPI is ignored. a pixel is a pixel is a pixel
 
Last edited:
ecoleman said:
It’s not really. If you export from LR to a specific size in inches instead of pixels then PPI is required to determine how many pixels the image needs to be whether that be down sizing or up sizing.

PPI is only used as part of the calculation when converting from a screen dimension to a physical dimension like inches, cm etc. and when printing so that the application knows how to resize the image.

When exporting to a pixel size, PPI is ignored. a pixel is a pixel is a pixel
Click to expand...


I'm aware of all that. However the whole "300 DPI" is meaningless as very few print devices actually use that measurement. Far more print @ 240 than 300.

Newsprint is 120 and there are further variations.

Hence "300 DPI" is largely meaningless.
 
I guess I should have used "300dpi (or whatever your printer uses/requires)", however, I used 300dpi, as it is pretty much the standard in my experience.
 
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