Issues when printing large TIFF file

[Ron Marshall]

Do you know for a fact that Epson Drivers downsample anything you send it to 360 ppi? This is an often repeated claim (also heard the same thing about 16-bit downsamples to 8-bit) but I don't think anyone can point to Epson saying this is true, and surely no one has the source code for the Epson driver to verify it that way. If you have the detail you mine as well send it if you can.

Do a test with two 8x10 prints: send one file at 1440 dpi and one at 360 dpi and see if you can discern a difference.

[Brian Ellis]

Do a test with two 8x10 prints: send one file at 1440 dpi and one at 360 dpi and see if you can discern a difference.

I'm not sure that just looking at 2 8x10 prints and seeing no difference provides a conclusive answer.

Without ever caring enough to research it, I've always had the same question as nomaz. I used to see people claim some Epson printers resampled to 360 and that other Epson printers resampled to 720. Lately nobody seems to talk about 720, just 360.

I do agree that 360 or even 240 is all you need to send to the printer but I'm not sure the printer automatically resamples everything sent to it to 360. However, I'm not going to argue about it.

[SAShruby]

According to my print options I have only three: 720x720dpi, 1440x720dpi and 2880x1440dpi. These are the option I see, why would I sample down to 360dpi if the minimum this printer can print is 720? Also, according to luminous prople, I trust they know what they say, if you print photo black, they advise to print at least onle level up from minimum level.

I'm just doing what they recommend.

Update: I tried to open this file in CS3 instead in CS5. I couldn't even click on print option at all. In my opinion, there is something wrong with the TIFF file. QTR can't open it too. I'm trying to salvage this because I worked on this print for a month and it is a birthday present for my friend (60th).


Correction: Just found out that 7880 can print in 360dpi. But I can't select that option, in CS5, 7880 doesn't offer me the lower resolutions.
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/j...seBVCookie=yes

[SAShruby]

Why on earth are you sending a 1440 pixel per inch file to the printer! For that matter, how did you get that much resolution in the first place? Did you up-sample your scan?

The driver resamples whatever you send it to 360 ppi (that's pixels per inch, not dots per inch i.e.dpi, which is the actual dithered dots the print head lays down). So the system (either Photoshop or the driver) is choking on huge amounts of useless data.

In reality you can probably get by sending a 240 ppi file, you'll need a loupe to see any difference.

Because I want to and how? I scanned 8x20 negative @ 2400dpi. It is a preparation for 23x59" final print @ 720dpi.

[Ron Marshall]

I'm not sure that just looking at 2 8x10 prints and seeing no difference provides a conclusive answer.

You are right. What I meant to say was print an 8x10 section of the full image he is having trouble printing. Then if no differerence can be discerned there is nothing to be gained by using the larger files.

http://www.normankoren.com/Tutorials...#Printer_intro

[SergeyT]

... according to luminous prople, I trust they know what they say, if you print photo black, they advise to print at least onle level up from minimum level.

I'm just doing what they recommend.

++

[Peter Mounier]

Let me try again...

[Peter Mounier]

According to my print options I have only three: 720x720dpi, 1440x720dpi and 2880x1440dpi. These are the option I see, why would I sample down to 360dpi if the minimum this printer can print is 720?

Your image file has pixels, your printer prints dots. The printer takes every pixel in your image and breaks it down to various sizes of dots. The more dots per inch that your printer can lay down, the finer quality the printed image will be, up to the point that our eyes can see any difference. That's where the 360, 720, 1440, and 2880 dpi comes from.
So you can save your file at 300 pixels per inch, and the printer will break each inch of pixels into 1440 printer dots per inch to achieve the exact colors and smooth gradations that you want to see.

For example if you have one pink (light red) pixel in your image, your printer will use several dots of magenta, yellow, and white (a dot on the paper where no ink is laid down) of various sizes and amounts to re-create that one pink pixel.

Peter

[SAShruby]

Your image file has pixels, your printer prints dots. The printer takes every pixel in your image and breaks it down to various sizes of dots. The more dots per inch that your printer can lay down, the finer quality the printed image will be, up to the point that our eyes can see any difference. That's where the 360, 720, 1440, and 2880 dpi comes from.
So you can save your file at 300 pixels per inch, and the printer will break each inch of pixels into 1440 printer dots per inch to achieve the exact colors and smooth gradations that you want to see.

For example if you have one pink (light red) pixel in your image, your printer will use several dots of magenta, yellow, and white (a dot on the paper where no ink is laid down) of various sizes and amounts to re-create that one pink pixel.

Peter

Ah, I see. Then my question would be, what is the best or ideal ppi resolution for 360, 720 and 1440 dpi?

[bdkphoto]

Ah, I see. Then my question would be, what is the best or ideal ppi resolution for 360, 720 and 1440 dpi?

Printer Resolution and file resolution are separate things:

Set your printer at 2880x1440 for best quality

PS image file L x W at 300 ppi