Quality of scans for printing

[Bob]

Is there a way to tell easily whether a scanned copy of something will come out ok on a printer?

Other than doing a test printout, but that's probably a very good way too. 

Something like dpi?  Or zooming in to a certain level on a pdf file?

I printed a pdf file out and I'm wondering where I got it now.  Public domain stuff.  But I can't read the staff lines on the printout.    

Live and learn.

[quantum]

higher dpi = beter quality.

The more one scans, one will be able to notice patterns or settings which result in better or worse results. 

When you say you can't read staff lines, what exactly is the problem?  To blurry, pixelated, small?  You know in Adobe you can expand or shrink to fit page when you print.  This is good for stretching the print to fill the page instead of having so much blank space on the boarders.  However, if the scan was at too low a resolution printing big could result in pixelation.  In this case it may help to print smaller to get crisper lines. 

[Bob]

This was one from here, but not from PS.  One that someone put up that I must have downloaded and it got mixed in with my PS scores. 

The staff lines aren't always there.  I can't tell where the notes are supposed to be unless I really study it out, but that doesn't cut it for sight-reading.  I keep wondering if it's on a line or space or which line it is exactly.

[thalbergmad]

Sounds like some old crap that i posted bob.

Don't worry, i have a new scanner.

Thal

[Bob]

I don't know where I got the pdf.  Here, probably, but I don't know from who.

Is there a way to tell though without printing?  I'm thinking it's probably best to do a test page, but I'd rather avoid that if I could. 

It looks like things at 200 dpi might turn out a bit grainy.  Maybe 300 dpi would be passable.  I've heard 600dpi is needed for printing.  I'm still wondering though.  2-300 dpi seems to look ok for viewing on a computer screen though. 

[quantum]

Really the best way to test is to print. 

You see images on your monitor as colored pixels of light projected at you.  You see images on paper as light reflected off a pigmented surface.  These two scenarios are very different.