What size, in megapixels, should a digital file be in order to produce a quality print at a given size, in inches?
Each colored box represents a certain number of megapixels. The numbers along the top and left side are print dimensions in inches at 300ppi (pixels per inch). Most books and magazines require 300ppi for photo quality. For example, the chart shows that you can make a 5″ x 7″ photo quality print from a 3 megapixel camera. Inches @ 300ppi (numbers inside colored boxes are megapixels) Notice that as the print size doubles, the megapixels required increases geometrically. You can make nice 8″ x 10″ prints with a 6 or 8 megapixel camera, but to make a true photo quality 16″ x 20″ print, you need between 24 and 30 megapixels. Don’t be fooled by manufacturers’ claims that say you can make 16″ x 20″ prints from an 8 megapixel camera. While you certainly can make a print that size, it will not be true photo quality at 300ppi. Through the use of image editing software like Photoshop, one can “cheat” by adding pixels to an image to increase it’s size. Image clarity will not be improved however, a
Related Questions
- What size, in megapixels, should a digital file be in order to produce a quality print at a given size, in inches?
- How can the quality of digital images be maximized while minimizing the file size and storage requirements?
- What resolution/file size does my image need to be to ensure a good quality print?
