Should I get poster printing for higher resolution than 5400 x 3600 for 36“ x 24”?

Question

The highest "common" resolution I've seen for printing a poster is 5400 x 3600 for the reasonable price of (~$15), but I have the ability to make the images I want to print (procedurally generated) as high of a resolution as possible (within limits of transferring several gb files to the store to print them). I was hoping to get a print with as high res 12K x 8K but maybe this is unnecessary for only a 36" x 24" poster print.

I also hope to print 12K x 8K resolutions for reasonable price similar to 5.4K x 3.6K, since going much higher than that seems to require spending much more money very quickly (~$100 per print or more), so I guess it's important I can get it done cheap. I do want to know what options are out there, even if they are outside my price range.

What would the highest resolution be in 24" x 36" for a canvas print and for what prices?

Thanks.

Answer 1

150 ppi is plenty of resolution if you're printing on canvas. If you expect your piece to be viewed from a few inches away (less than 16), then 300 ppi is more than sufficient. Beyond that point you're just adding to the file size without adding visible image information in the final product.

On high-grade art paper, you can go as high as 600 ppi. Beyond that point, the same considerations apply.

If you require that level of quality, you will pay for it ($75 and up is not unreasonable). If you're on a budget, stick with 150 ppi, because the quality of output you can get on the cheap will not justify the extra expense.