How many pixels do I need...

[sonyapayne]

to develop poster sized prints? I have 12.1 right now.

thanks,
sp

[Mr Guy]

We hit this question a lot. The most accurate answer is that it depends on how closely you want to be able to view the poster, and how big the poster is.

From very close, 300dpi is considered a "photo quality" print for the purposes of viewing at close distances. If we call 24x36 a "normal" poster, then that 7200x10800, roughly 70megapixels. would be the resolution you'd need to be able to view it from a close distance. That doesn't really answer your question, because people don't generally view posters from inches away. In practice, most posters are printed closer to 150dpi, or even lower, because they expect you to view posters from a reasonable distance. A 12 megapixel camera can easily handle that.

[dcclark]

I've printed 18x24 posters from 7 MP images before -- they look great. You don't normally view a poster-sized photo from even 1 foot away. So DPI honestly won't matter, unless you drop below about 100 DPI.

[OsmosisStudios]

I've done "standard" 24x36 posters with 10mp and, even up close, they look good. The trick is to make sure your shot is sharp and uses good technique, is properly exposed and well processed.

[sonyapayne]

Thank you!