If a JPEG is 72 dpi but 42 X 27 inches, what are the odds the resolution will be decent printed at 5X7 inches? Does shrinking really produce a decent quality printout when it starts out with a res that low?

Unless I am really misunderstanding how image files work, I would think a 72 dpi 42*27 would be exactly the same file as a 432 dpi 7*4.5 image. So if 432 dpi is a good printing resolution, it should look fine.

Right?

Typo, it'll be fine. Resolution and size are interdependent; think of them as math and not as an image. There's no difference between a ginormous 72 dpi image and a smaller 300 dpi image. That's what resampling does.

Good lord. I thought one thing and typed the opposite. That's why you DON'T resample. For instance, in Photoshop, there's a box for image size, showing pixel dimensions (which is actually the only important factor), size (as in 4 x 6), and dpi. There are also ticky boxes, one of which is "Resample image." You do NOT want to click that if you want to take a 72 dpi ginormous picture and make the dimensions 5 x 7 at 300 dpi. Because it's all math based on the pixel dimensions.

If you click the "Resample image" box, what it does is retain the dpi (for instance, 72) and then shrink the photo to the inch dimensions you specify, which then would print crappy.

To sum up: a ginormous 72 dpi photo will print fine as a smaller 300 dpi photo, assuming the photo was taken well.

Really, just Google "digital photo" + dpi + dimensions, and you'll get a ton of sites that explain it.

A rule of thumb is that the resolution doubles when you halve the size.

This discussion always hurts my brain, because pixels/inch is a digital measurement and dots/inch is a print measurement. They roughly correlate, but they're not the same thing at all.

Thanks. I have googled and think I get it. Since this is for print, dots per inch is a good metric, yes?

OK no. First with rare exceptions when they say dpi they really mean pixels per inch at a particular size. really what we care about is number of pixels. But the dpi and size combines does give me that. If is 72 dpi and 42 x 54 then I can translate that to dpi printed at whatever size.

And when I'm told 600 DPI with minimum dimensions of 5X7 what is really meant is a minimum size 3000X4200 pixels. Now to google vector graphics.

Does anyone know if iTunes has a contact number to actually talk to someone over the phone? I've got a few TV shows I downloaded some time ago and paid for through their store, but for some reason, I can't watch them anymore even though they're still on my hard drive. My music all plays fine, but not the shows.

Kathy, did you upgrade your iTunes version? That's been a problem with some people (including me) watching shows they purchased.

Once the Apple Discussions are back up, check out this thread: [link] -- they recommend contacting Customer Support (and including the link to the discussion) to have them re-authorize the shows for you.

(I have not done this yet because I am a procrastinator and because I bought the shows to watch on my iPod anyway.)

Yes, I did!!! So, that's the culprit.

Do you have the link to the Apple Discussions thread? ETA: Oops, yes, you do!

ETA2: Thanks for the info!!

Apple Discussions seems to be down right now, so keep checking back.

The weird thing is that I can watch TV shows I bought *before* I upgraded my iTunes, but not the ones I bought *after* the upgrade. (On my computer, I mean -- I can't watch on my laptop, where iTunes is installed and was upgraded. Go figure.)

Do you have the link to the Apple Discussions thread? ETA: Oops, yes, you do!

I forgot to post it at first, so it wasn't an oops on your part; I had to edit it in.