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Hi everyone!
I need to create an illustration to be used as a 1.5 x 18m print (printed on some sort of backlit panels). It's way larger than anything I've worked with before and I'm wondering what the best practice here is.
I'm thinking I should divide it into 3 sections, say 1.5 x 6m, and work towards each of these - am I thinking right? Would I go for setting up a 75x300cm file at 600dpi or is this too large? The print wouldn't be viewed from close up.
Any tips would be veru much appreciated!
Thanks
J
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Have a word with the printers, they will be able to advise you on the format and resolution they require.
You may find that you can produce one piece of artwork with a resolution of say 20PPI and supply it as a PDF/X-4 in RGB color mode.
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will definitely speak to the printers! Also, did you mean 200ppi? Thank you for the info, I appreciate it!
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No, I did mean 20PPI!
Let us know how you get on and the spec the printer suggested.
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Ah, I see! Thank you. It's a new area for me, slowly learning
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Hi, just a little update - I found out the previous illustration for the same purpose was made at 49992 x 4606px (180 x 15cm) at 600dpi. So 10% of the final dimension but at a very high dpi. What's your view on this?
Thanks!
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The ppi number is not a property of the file. There is no need to pay any particular attention to that now.
The file is only pixels. You get a ppi number when you decide what physical size to print those pixels. Ppi is given by the size!
This is just a simple equation: pixels per inch. You have the pixels already. When you decide how many inches, a ppi number comes out on the other end of that formula.
Ppi is probably the most misunderstood concept in all of digital imaging. It's much simpler than you think! Pixels per inch - it means exactly what it says.
In Photoshop, you can work at final size. There is no need for any scaling.
However, if you're going to deliver a PDF to the printer, there are physical size limits (that's because a PDF is object oriented and treats everything as vector objects). I can't recall off the top of my head what that size limit is.
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The DPI you need depend on the distance between the panel and the viewer. Usually at 100 % 70 to 100 DPI are more than enough if printed by a modern stochastic screen printer.
So if your artboard is halfsize you will need a 140 to 200 DPI file.
If your artboard is 0.15m x 0.6 m for a final size of 1.5 x6 you will need 1400 to 2000 DPI
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I see, thanks for the insight - I think I finally understand it. Although I have been illustrating on a small scale for a while, large format is a new area for me, thanks for your help! I'll contact the printers to find out more as well.