Printing at 72ppi vs 300ppi question

StormCloudSeven

Honorable
Nov 13, 2013
8
0
10,510
Not really sure where to ask this, so maybe people good with cameras can help me out?
I've got this 3245 x 4868 pixels image. When opened in photoshop this image is said to have 72ppi. It's a relatively large image but I want to print this out as a 24"x36" poster for my room (yes i made and own this image). Would the result be very blurry once its printed out?

The thing is, I keep trying to do the math in my head and don't quite understand why things need to be printed in 300ppi for the print to look sharp. On a computer screen, 72ppi looks sharp already. So if the printer can just replace the pixels with ink at exactly the same ratio/size, the print should look fine right?

I just don't wanna spend $70 for a blurry poster, thanks guys!
 
Solution


whcc will print lower resolutions just fine actually, and photoshop lied to you because it defaults to 72dpi (same as a regular monitor). If you can though, I highly suggest upscaling the image yourself to get minor amounts of "detail" if you plan on looking at the image from less than 3ft all the time.

StormCloudSeven

Honorable
Nov 13, 2013
8
0
10,510


I'm planning to print it using this website: www.whcc.com
I've used them before for much smaller prints, and i don't recall them recommending anything.

edit: oh and actually I've figured out that at 3245 x 4868 pixels on a 24" x 36" print, the ppi is actually like 135ppi, still less than half of 300ppi tho
 

USAFRet

Illustrious
Moderator


So talk to them.
Upload your print and see what they say about the resolution and quality.
 


whcc will print lower resolutions just fine actually, and photoshop lied to you because it defaults to 72dpi (same as a regular monitor). If you can though, I highly suggest upscaling the image yourself to get minor amounts of "detail" if you plan on looking at the image from less than 3ft all the time.
 
Solution