Can a Nikon D700 produce a good-quality 72x72 inch print?
Asked 9/11/2012
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I need to make a 72x72 inch print from a Nikon D700 file. The D700 captures 4256×2832 pixels, so a square crop would be about 2832×2832 pixels. Is that enough for a good-quality print at this size, or would it only work for long viewing distances? Are there any practical ways to improve the result, such as upscaling or stitching multiple images?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
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It depends on a few factors - primarily the print technology that is going to be used, and secondly what the print is to be used for.
The D700 shoots at 4256 × 2832 (12.1 MP), so the largest Square frame you can print at 1:1 pixel ratio would be 2832 x 2832 pixels.
Lets say the print is to be at 600 DPI, which is a fairly standard high quality signage dpi, that would equate to only a 4.72 inch square print. at 300DPI a 9.44 inch print.
so the immediately the answer "No" comes to mind... However...
If you were to print a 2832 pixel width image at 72", each pixel would be printed at 0.645mm width, which is perfectly good for viewing at anything over a couple of meters away. I would suggest that the image is up-scaled 2x or 3x before printing - this will not increase quality but will smooth out the pixels (by making them smaller at print time)
Originally by user9999. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user9999
13y ago
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Yes, but it depends heavily on viewing distance and how the print will be used. A Nikon D700 file is 4256×2832 pixels, so a square crop gives about 2832×2832 pixels. At 72×72 inches, that works out to roughly 39 pixels per inch, which is far below typical close-viewing print standards like 300 dpi. So for a print examined up close, no, it will not be truly high resolution.
However, for large display prints or signage viewed from a few meters away, it can still look acceptable. Upscaling the file 2× or 3× before printing can help smooth the result, though it will not add real detail.
If you need more actual resolution and the subject is static, the better solution is to shoot multiple overlapping frames and stitch them into a much larger file using panoramic techniques. That can produce far more detail than a single D700 frame.
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