(In Photoshop) Should I increase Image size or Scale it bigger?

Question

Hi everyone
I have an image that needs to be printed, but it needs to cover a larger portion of the page than it already does. Its already at 300dpi. The detail of the image is important to me. Should I increase the image size or just scale it larger?

Thanks!
PS: please only answer if you have experience in this matter. Please also explain your answers. No brief answers please.

Answer 1

Increase the image.



Scaling's always messed things up for me. I've found resizing the image to be a better option to preserve the details.

Answer 2

How is it being printed?



For offset lithography the recommended final size is 300ppi, but for a digital press you can safely go as low as 150ppi (twice the image size).



If the file is to be printed using lithography it is best not to print it at more than 120% of its present size.



Although Photoshop is capable of enlarging images and retaining quality there is a limit beyond which the image will lose the crispness of detail, whether you scale it or increase image size – however, if you increase image size select Bicubic Smoother from the drop down menu at the bottom of the dialogue box, that will give a better finish than scaling will.

Answer 3

Try doubling your image size. Doubling has a better effect than scaling it at some odd percentage. You're not gaining any details by doubling, and it'll tend to blur the image a bit since you've doubled the pixels. What you can do is then sharpen the image a bit. Use Unsharp Mask and not the crappy Sharpen effect. Unsharp mask works much better as it offers you total control of it.



If you're unfamiliar with Unsharp mask, just search for it in the help section.



Hope this helps,

-Wei

www.artofwei.com