24x36 Large Glossy Print Questions

BistiArt

A recent purchase request
BistiArt > control panel > pro sales > Order #680538
Asks me to prepare a final image by Aug 29.

This framed image is 13.333x10.333 (aspect ratio 1.3).

The order requests 24x36 glossy (aspect ratio 1.5).

Can someone knowledgeable about large smugmug prints please clearly explain:
1. Whether or not the crop would remove any portion of the frame?
2. Or will the image and frame be printed at 24x36?
3. If I need to resize the image for 24x36 (AR 1.5) size?
4. What dpi to provide the final sRGB image prior to upload?

With this info, I can prepare the final image and upload it…

TIA
[FONT=&quot]<o:p></o:p>[/FONT]

jfriend

BistiArt wrote:

A recent purchase request
BistiArt > control panel > pro sales > Order #680538
Asks me to prepare a final image by Aug 29.

This framed image is 13.333x10.333 (aspect ratio 1.3).

The order requests 24x36 glossy (aspect ratio 1.5).

Can someone knowledgeable about large smugmug prints please clearly explain:
1. Whether or not the crop would remove any portion of the frame?
2. Or will the image and frame be printed at 24x36?
3. If I need to resize the image for 24x36 (AR 1.5) size?
4. What dpi to provide the final sRGB image prior to upload?

With this info, I can prepare the final image and upload it…

TIA
[FONT=&quot]<o:p></o:p>[/FONT]

The dpi setting in your print is not used by Smugmug or by the printer, so you can ignore what that is set to. The three things that matter are:

1) The quality of your original pixels
2) How many original pixels you have
3) The aspect ratio of the image

It would help if we could see the framed image ourself, but if you're talking about a framed border you put around the image in Photoshop, then you will need to recrop the main image and then redo the framed border so that the overall image (including the frame around it) is a 1.5 aspect ratio to match the 24x36 order size.

You should just preserve as many of the original pixels as possible. There is no reason to uprez or downrez your image and there is no need to set the labeled size or dpi on the image. Be aware that under some conditions in Photoshop, setting the dpi will cause Photoshop to resample your image (changing the number of pixels). Each time you do that, you degrade the image some because Photoshop has to either invent new pixels (if uprezing) or throw away some pixels (if downrezing), both of which are bad before printing an enlargement. The printing process will take whatever 1.5 aspect ratio image you send it and do whatever resampling is necessary to match the needs of the print engine. Leaving your pixels alone and allowing the printer's software to do the final resampling to match the print engine ensures that this only happens once, rather than multiple times.

Finally, the image should definitely be in sRGB as you mention.

So, to recap on your questions:

1. Whether or not the crop would remove any portion of the frame?

Yes, if the aspect ratios don't match, some of what you now have will have to be cropped to match the ordered size.

2. Or will the image and frame be printed at 24x36?

If the image doesn't match the ordered size, in the shopping cart, there is an option for whether to crop or not. If you choose to crop, then bits will be chopped off one dimension of the image until it fits the ordered aspect ratio. You can control which bits are chopped off to do this. Since you have a frame around the image, this will not be a desirable option because it will make the frame uneven.

If you choose not to crop, then the image will print on the 24x36 paper, but with a 1.3 aspect ratio, meaning the actual printed image will end up as 24x31.2. If it is possible for you to redo your image and frame without losing important content into a 1.5 aspect ratio image, then that will allow

3. If I need to resize the image for 24x36 (AR 1.5) size?
You just need to produce an image that has an aspect ratio of 1.5. No need to worry about the labeled dpi or size. Those are not used by Smugmug or the printer.

4. What dpi to provide the final sRGB image prior to upload?
Just use the best original pixels you have. Do not uprez or downrez your images for the best printed results.