Large Metal Prints For Lobby Space

j-nord

Derp
Feb 16, 2016
467
4
Colorado
As sort of a favor (I've previously declined similar requests when approached) I am selling my Fiancee's office 6 large metal prints for their lobby space. I'm letting them pick pretty much anything they want. The issue is, they want 36 inch prints and a lot of my images (and specifically ones they are looking at) are heavily cropped. The images they are looking at range from around 1800px to about 4000px. I've printed 36inch+ for personal use but all have been higher res files, even multi shot stitches.

1) is 1800px enough for a 36inch print for a typical small office lobby? (I know it's certainly not ideal)

2) should I scale the larger res files down to match the lower common denominator to keep the 6 images as cohesive as possible? Or even split the difference in size so it isn't as obvious that one has vastly more detail?

Any input would be appreciated!
 
Although I do not print on metal, I have done very large prints and worked at a pro photo lab until recently.

I have found that upsizing in Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements which I use at home) works very well. The standard dpi for photographic printing is 300. Here are the steps I use which may work for you also.

1. Open image in Photoshop (or Elements or a similar program).

2. Go to file size and if it is set to 72dpi (likely), change it to 300 but keep the pixel count the same (which will make the inch size get smaller, but that's ok).

3. Now increase the pixel count in increments, a few hundred at a time, until the inches show the print size you want. Save the file either as a TIFF (if you have the computer space) or highest quality JPEG (should be fine).

4. To test how it will print, set your crop tool to 8x10. With the rulers showing along the side of the image, crop out an 8x10 inch section (a section that will show enough detail). Order an 8x10 print from the lab you will use and this will show how it will print at your desired final size. If an 8x10 metal print is too expensive for a test print, just order a regular photograph (should be cheap at any lab) as this should show the resolution.
 
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