Recommended Pixel Resolution for a B0 Poster

[Bob Howes]

I know this isn't strictly a Photoshop question but I know this forum is full of graphics experts...

I work mainly with Audio (Audition) and some video (Premiere Pro) but I made the mistake of helping one of my sound clients with some graphics (a theatre programme) and now he thinks I can work miracles.

He needs a poster for his next production--the size of the sign where it will be posted takes a B0 print.  I'm wondering what Pixel resolution is recommended to produce an acceptable product that size.

I suspect that the true answer is "what will you put up with" so, in case it helps, the sign this will go on is a bit more than 2 metres high...and the sidewalk running by it is about 2 metres away so nobody will get up really close to see slight softness or pixelation. 

Anyway, I'd appreciate any advice you can offer (and promise to try and answer you sound questions over on the Audition forum.

[Trevor.Dennis]

Also what the content is, but it kind of sounds like the will be at least some photographic content?  150ppi works out to 8504 x 5906 pixels which feels OK to me for the size and viewing distance.  How many pixels do you have to play with regards any photographs in the design?

Oh, and what does the printer want?

[Bob Howes]

The printer is closed today (it's Saturday evening here in Australia) but I plan to ring them Monday anyway.

The content will be a sunrise in the background of the whole thing with a silhouette of a soldier down one side and text on the other (name of play plus dates).

I have no way of generating a sunrise photo of the resolution you mention (just have a normal 16 Megapixel DSLR)  but, at the same time, it might almost be better if that was slightly soft.  I'm hoping to get somebody to draw my soldier so I can specify that size.  The text is the important part to be nice and clear and obviously I can control that in Photoshop.

Thanks very much for the quick reply!

[D Fosse]

Bob Howes wrote:

The text is the important part to be nice and clear and obviously I can control that in Photoshop.

InDesign is really the way to go here. This is what it's made for. You're right that a backdrop such as the sunrise can be allowed to be soft, as long as it's contrasted with crisp text and other foreground elements. Place the photo at around 100-150 ppi effective resolution in InDesign - upsample in Photoshop if necessary.

Get a CMYK profile from the printer, and export a press-ready PDF from InDesign. To be on the safe side, use the PDF/X-1a preset in the Export dialog. This is always problem-free. Ask the printer if they want bleed with crop marks.

If the silouette is a separate element, it can be prepared as vector in Illustrator, or it can be high-resolution raster. You might even find a stock image (raster or vector) to use.

[Bob Howes]

D Fosse wrote:

Bob Howes wrote:

The text is the important part to be nice and clear and obviously I can control that in Photoshop.

InDesign is really the way to go here. This is what it's made for. You're right that a backdrop such as the sunrise can be allowed to be soft, as long as it's contrasted with crisp text and other foreground elements. Place the photo at around 150 ppi effective resolution in InDesign - upsample in Photoshop if necessary.

Get a CMYK profile from the printer, and export a press-ready PDF from InDesign. To be on the safe side, use the PDF/X-1a preset in the Export dialog. This is always problem-free. Ask the printer if they want bleed with crop marks.

If the silouette is a separate element, it can be prepared as vector in Illustrator, or it can be high-resolution raster. You might even find a stock image (raster or vector) to use.

I've been putting off teaching myself InDesign but more and more it seems like I'll have to set aside a day and a whole lot of coffee for some tutorials!

Audio seems so much easier--but I've been playing with that for 40 years!

[D Fosse]

I've been putting off teaching myself InDesign but more and more it seems like I'll have to set aside a day and a whole lot of coffee for some tutorials!

Well, in this case, use whatever you're comfortable with.

InDesign is an incredibly complex application to master fully - perhaps even more so than Photoshop. OTOH getting started is fairly easy, and setting up a basic document for print (such as this) is intuitive and straightforward.

Dave's viewing distance formula is extremely useful. Most people overestimate required resolution for large formats, and struggle when they end up with gigantic files their systems can't handle. There's usually no need for that. When I said 100-150 that was just off the top of my head, to keep a workable size. But 88 is certainly good enough.

[Trevor.Dennis]

I was going to suggest asking the InDesign forum for advice even if you are going to put it together in Photoshop.

Bob, I suspect I am teaching you to suck eggs, but the trick is to keep the file layered, and export out to PDF using the High Quality Print preset.  [1] That will keep all vector content fully sharp regardless of print size.  IME having elements of the poster totally sharp, like the text and any line work, gives the impression of overall sharpness even if the raster content is forced to 100ppi or less.

[1] I see Dag has given you more specific advice in respect of colour, and he is our man for that.  I always give the print RGB and let them convert to CMYK.  He gives me an A4 proof and we take it from there.

What sort of soldier do you need?  With all the effort Adobe have been putting into pushing Adobe Stock, the one thing I haven't noticed is how to search with a minimum file size.  If you give your soldier a stylized painterly type of effect, you can get away with less than optimum resolution.   In fact as you are a fellow Antipodean, if you flick your soldier image to me at best resolution, I'll upsize it and paint in the eyes and other details to crisp it up.  What is your time frame?  trevor dot dennis AT xtra do co dot nz

[Bob Howes]

I pretty clearly need to talk to the printer about the delivery format and RGB/CMYK requirement.  Fortunately there's lots of time--the poster is for a play opening on Anzac Day and will likely go up about a month before (when the previous show in the theatre closes).

Thanks for the offer on the soldier but what the director wants is a total silhouette so there's no detail to be painted in--just nice sharp edges.  As I said, I think I have a graphic artist (who works in PS) who can give me what I want at whatever size/resolution I ask for.

All this while I'm supposed to be doing the Sound Design--the last show I did with this director he was badly let down by the people who were supposed to do the programme two days before it was supposed to be at the printer.  I made the mistake of offering to try to sort it out and managed to make the deadline so now he thinks I can do anything.  A B0 poster in colour is a different kettle of fish from a black and white A5 programme!

Anyway thanks to everyone for their help so far--several very useful suggestions plus a formula I shall keep forever!

[davescm · Accepted solution]

You rightly have mentioned viewing distance.

There is a formula in the link below for what they eye can resolve at a particular distance in good viewing conditions

ppi = 1/((distance in inches x 0.000291)/2). 

So at 2 metres that is 1/((78 x 0.000291)/2) = 88ppi  anything more than that the eye won't resolve, at that distance

That works out as 16.9 M pixels so your DSLR image should be fine

What print resolution works for what viewing distance?

Hope that helps

Dave

[Bob Howes]

Thanks!  That's an amazingly useful formula which I've now filed for future use!