Enough about me. What do you have to say?

Dear Photoshop Whore,
 
I'm in a Photoshop pickle, Mark. I do a web comic and I only know how to prepare my comic strip files for the web. I'm starting to get requests for print-ready color files, but I have no idea how to prepare them. The syndicate has given me some vague guidelines, but I'm still not sure how to get started.
I feel so unprepared and dumb.

Teresa

Teresa,
        This one's either very, very simple or very, very hard. The key element is size. Print requires much larger images than does the web. Two or three times bigger.
        Let's say you have a comic that's 600x200 pixels. For a good print, you need at least 150 pixels per inch. So a print of this comic, which is about 9 inches by 3 on your monitor, would only be four inches by 1.3 inches (or smaller) when you print it.
        If you want to print at, say, 4x6, the art should be at least 900 x 600 pixels. Twice that would be better.
        You can enlarge your art in Photoshop, of course, but that tends to make things grainy, blurry, or jaggy, depending on what you start with and how you do it.
        If you know you are going to want to make prints, you really need to work at print resolution in the first place - I'd recommend 300 dpi - then save smaller versions of the art for the web.

I've got 2 quick things to ask of you; One; in the latest  PS Whore (Grooving'!) you go over restoration.

Can you help me out with the process or send me in the right direction? I need to know about scan settings, do you do b/w point setting in scan driver since scanners can get more bit data? Or just no correction and go right to PS? Are these old photos considered COLOR , I mean some where like the last one I worked on (60's) just sunbleached. But with my grams brothers and her mothers pics or that kid on your PS whore on the porch; that yellow; still scan in color? 
Do you work on channel basis?

I cant figure out the process for swapping channels.

I have treasured your book (20 designers face off) PS Secrets the pros

Peace

Osceola
P.S. You have the girl on the beach's phone #?! ; )

Osceola,
        When in doubt, scan at the highest resolution possible. Always scan in color (even black and white material). Always save your original scans.

The reason to scan old black and white photos in color is that some channels will have more or better information. I've written a tutorial on color channels. I hope you find it useful.

ps - no.

Mark,
I browsed your new portfolio, and REALLY enjoyed some of it. Especially how you can enhance photos. I may not have taken time to peruse it fully enough to have found the answer to my question, but I could see NO REASON to have the ugly word, "whore" in the name of your work. Why did you use it?

Sincerely,
R.C., your 6th Grade teacher, Haysville, KS.

Dear Ms. C,
        I'm glad you like the site. The word 'whore' is urban slang for someone who engages in any activity - camping, shopping, or Photoshopping - to excess, to the point that it controls them, becomes an addiction, and impacts negatively on his or her life. That's me and Photoshop.

I think your new site is wonderful. You are so talented. I love you.
-Your mom

        Thanks, Mom.