[filmscanners] Pixels and Prints

["" <HMSDOC@aol.com>]

I suspect I will 'go digital' sometime in the next year or two.  My question
regards what type of print output quality I can expect from digital.

I print on an Epson 2200 at sizes of up to 13x19 inches.  In reality, I tend
to leave an inch margin or so around the image, so lets say an image size of
11x17 inches.  "Conventional" teaching with scans (and I suppose that this
could be part of the answer..that the conventional holds with scans but not 
direct
digital acquisition) is that for critical sharpness you should be able to
send 300ppi to the printer.  Say this is overkill and you really only need 250
ppi.  By my calculations you would still need 11 megapixels fo an 11x17 image at
250ppi.   Yet everyone raves at the output of even the Canon 10D at
significantly less resolution.  So is the conventional teaching incorrect when 
it comes
to direct digital capture?  Perhaps more importantly, how many megapixels are
needed for an extremely sharp 11x17 inch print?  I realize there are other
benefits to digital capture as it translates to printing, such as lack of grain,
but sharpness is quite important to me as well.  I would appreciate any help
in how to look at this as I think about getting a digital body.  Right now I
am using a 1V and a Polaroid Sprintscan 4000 Plus.  A DS1 at 14 or so
megapixels and full frame sensor is way too expensive for me...but if a new 
Canon EOS 3
type digital body were to come out I could see spending up to $2500 or so.

Howard

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