Making JPG fit 8X10 Print

OK , here's an easy one (for you, not me).

I scanned a photo and saved it at high res. The file came out at 1.5MB.

How can I reduce the size so that it will print on an 8X10 sheet?

or , what size file will fit an 8X10?


Thanks , Chris

( The print is for an iron-on shirt transfer)

What dpi will you be printing at?

300 dpi

I saved scans at different resolutions so now I have JPGs of the same image from 258KB to 3500KBs

You do know there is no direct coralation to the filesize and the printable area?

What resolution are you scanning at?

Yeah , I figured that out. Scanning at 300dpi. When I open the pics in a certain program they are huge, but when I print they fit fine. Made some nice Zappa T-shirts with the iron=on transfers!!
Thanks for the reply.

Yeah, at 300DPI, for an 8x10 photo, your scan will need to be 2400x3000 pixels for true 300 pixels per inch reproduction from screen to print.

This size image as a TIF file (which would be a better bet than JPG if you're intending to print - JPG loses way too much in the compression for it to be a great quality print) you're looking around 18-20Meg per image file.

My Nikon takes 6.1MP images (3008x2000 pixels) and these are around 17Meg as TIF, 10Meg as NEF RAW, and about 4Meg as jpg, but can produce outstanding 8x10's, and not-so-bad 16x20s.

You probably could get away with a lower DPI (say 150-200), especially if you're using an inkjet printer with regular laser copier paper.

A 300DPI image on the screen isn't going to retain the quality anyway with anything less than a thermal image printer (also called a dye-sub printer). An inkjet printer needs to print around 1440DPI or higher on quality glossy paper to produce anywhere close to the quality of 300DPI printed on a dye-sub printer.

axe gave you all the important info. I just wanted to add 1 thing...

when you scan, your app should give you a choice of what size the printable area will be for the image. set that to 8x10, the dimensions in pixels need to be large to fit that space when compressed and creates a clean image. 300dpi is standard dpi for print.