Re: filmscanners: Figuring out size & resolution

["Mark T." <markthomasz@ozemail.com.au>]

I agree with Roger's advice, but bravely add the following..

1. I have always seen many beginners, me included, get very confused about 
the (non-existent?!) link between image resolution (ppi) and 'printer 
resolution' (eg the 1440/720 dpi setting).  As a starting point, I just 
recommend that you always set the printer to the highest quality setting 
for the paper being used.  And then deal with the resolution of your image 
as a separate issue, using the approach outlined by Roger.  On many 
printers (admittedly not so much on a 1270..) using low quality settings 
like 720 or 360 dpi just results in more noticeable dithering in pale areas 
- *no matter what the resolution of your image might be*.

2. If you are printing directly from an imaging program and/or working on a 
high-spec PC, extra resolution (and therefore size) of your image might not 
be an issue.  But if the image is to be incorporated into a dtp document 
(in Publisher for example, which doesn't cope very well with large images), 
you may *need* to resize the image first.  And if you are sharing a network 
drive in an office/education/.. environment, your network supervisor will 
appreciate smaller files, it will be quicker to send via the internet, 
..etc.   So there are many circumstances in which it pays to resize to suit 
the required output quality.

My personal (amateurish) experience on my 1270 is that 300 ppi gives 'pro' 
quality, 200 ppi is adequate for 'normal' photo-quality (and the difference 
is quite difficult to spot on most images), 100 ppi is adequate for a 
poster size print not likely to be viewed close up, or a document that will 
only be seen in photocopied form.  Lastly, the image content can also be a 
criteria - some shots, eg soft-focus, would probably not benefit from going 
over 75 ppi..!!  :)    (Hey, try it before you disagree!)

Mark T, now ducking for cover..