Companies like Zazzle, which do print-on-demand posters and prints,  
can print huge posters with just 100 ppi and still get amazing results  
(I'd always been told print should be 300 ppi). So I agree with Linda  
to find out what the process will be, as this helps determine what you  
can do.

Related to this topic, I'm about to do a test for more info along  
these lines as well. FYI, I have previously upsampled files at around  
30 MB to twice that very successfully, though I too learned in  
Photoshop and Scanning classes that one is not supposed to upsample  
pixel-based art very much. At the time I was told that if you do, to  
do it in increments of 10%. I did an experiment with upsampling a file  
by 10% about 4 times and compared it with a file I upsampled only once  
to achieve the same file size. The file with the single upsample, when  
sharpened, looked far better than the one with the steps.

A professional who photographed my art as digital files recently, each  
file around 30 MB, was telling me that it's okay to take the files and  
upsample to over 100 MB with no obvious loss of quality. He'd been  
told this by an Academy of Art student. What he had on the computer of  
someone else's work looked fabulous. Still, it's not what I learned,  
and I'd been feeling that I should get 4 x 5 film to scan myself for  
100+ MB files. But maybe I don't need to spend the time and money. I'm  
going to take one of my 4 x 5s, scan it to about 120 MB, then take the  
30 MB file and upsample it to the same size, and have the same section  
of both files printed out by Zazzle or Fine Art America to see the  
comparison. I'll be happy to report my findings.

Lynette
--
Ms. Lynette R. Cook, Artist/Illustrator
[log in to unmask]
Main Web Site: http://www.lynettecook.com
371 Willits Street, Daly City, CA 94014 USA
650-991-7106 Tel * 415-699-6937 Cell

On Feb 2, 2011, at 9:51 AM, Linda Feltner wrote:

> Hi Kathryn:
>
> I have often enlarged artwork for visitor centers, etc.
> You need to have a really high resolution digital capture. It's a  
> bit different in production than a "scan", but boils down to the  
> same thing, creating a digital file. Unless they have a really large  
> scanner, where the artwork does not have to be spliced.
>
> What kind of end product will it be? The method of production may  
> drive some of your decisions. I'd ask the manufacturer what their  
> process was, and what kind of digital image needs to meet the  
> requirements. That will help you decide, too. You may ask them for  
> samples of such an enlargement, or do an 8x10" test panel.
>
> Best,
> Linda
>
> _____________________
> Linda M. Feltner Artist, LLC
> P.O. Box 325
> Hereford, AZ 85615
> (520) 803-0538
> w

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