Printer resolution: Schewe is right

[DanK]

Epson and Canon printers can be set to twice the normal resultion (720 vs. 360 and 600 vs. 300 dpi, respectively). I had tested this earlier and found that I got the best results with my Prograf if I set the driver to highest quality and Lightroom to 300 dpi. Jeff Schewe, however, has written that this is a function of native resolution at the print size: if using 360 or 300 entails downsizing, you're better off using 720 or 600.

So, I tested again, this time with an image that had a native resolution of 560 dpi when printed at 8 x 10. I printed at 300 and 600 dpi, in both cases keeping the driver set to highest quality.

He's right. The print with LR set for 600 dpi is sharper. The difference is very small and not readily apparent to the (elderly) naked eye, but with a weak magnifying glass, I was able to see it clearly.

So I'll follow his rule: for native resolutions up to 300 or 360 dpi, use the standard setting, but for denser images, use the higher.

For those who print with LR, you don't have to calculate: just temporarily uncheck the printer resolution box in the right panel, and the image resolution appears right next to the size to be printed. Just remember to re-check the printer resolution box.

[Manfred M]

Have you looked at his latest video on soft proofing on PhotoPXL. Another eye-opening discussion that I have started to work with.

[LenR]

Agreed Dan, I have been following Schewe's recommendations for LR printing at 300/600 based on the native resolution of the image for some time and have been pleased with the results.

[davidedric]

Schewe is rarely wrong, at least at my level of understanding!

[Manfred M]

It is interesting when Schewe and Steinhardt disagree.

The tests I have run, resulted with no noticeable difference using Epson printers (where Steinhardt (who works for Epson) has a lot of expertise and knowledge on Epson printers). I generally test with larger prints (17" x 22"), so there is a bit of upsampling. I will rerun the test this week on a smaller paper size where there is downsampling to see if that makes any noticeable difference.

I always print from Photoshop and not Lightroom. I wonder if this plays into things as well, as there are more manual settings in Photoshop. Again, something for me to test...