Ideal resolution (dpi) for standard 24"x36" posters?

I used to run printing presses for 30 years but am now out of that business due to the economy. For the size of poster you mentioned, not to mention that most posters of the size are viewed close up by the public, I would expect the image quality to be around 160 to 175 lines per inch. If memory serves right that is the lowest line level for decent looking printing. Some companies want the photos submitted at twice the resolution before conversion for printing. So a 320 ppi Tiff would equate to a 160 line CMYK screen printing quality. It might be 72 dpi / lines per inch on really large items that are viewable from a larger distance. Take this information as only a starting point for your research.

As a photographer, I see 72 ppi as fuzzy crap for the web. If used for printing a photo, that image looks rasterized or chunky in its smoothness. So I use 300 as my default for image printing.

CHEERS...Mathew

Date: Sun, 16 May 2010 17:35:24 -0600

From: forums@adobe.com

To: mathewdh@q.com

Subject: Ideal resolution (dpi) for standard 24"x36" posters?

There has long been debate at the various studios I worked for regarding ideal poster size resolutions.

For 24"x36" posters, some studios work in full 300dpi. Others find that resolution too demanding on the computer, and work at half-size (150dpi). Then I was told printers will print movie posters at 72dpi so anything above that is wasted anyway.

So I come to the experts... what resolution are most 24"x36" Hollywood posters done in?

Thanks!

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